With Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Principles and procedures derived from the science of behavior analysis have been
utilized to improve the quality of life for individuals across many domains (e.g., health
and education) and within many settings (e.g., business and home). Recently, greater
attention has been paid to behavior analytic treatments for individuals with autism
spectrum disorder, where it is considered to be the most effective treatment (e.g.,
Reichow, 2012). Similar to other health professions, the supply of competent practitioners is less than the demand in many geographical locations. A potential solution to
this dilemma is the delivery of behavior analytic services via telehealth. A previous
review of telehealth services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder indicated
that research for this type of service delivery model is limited (Boisvert, Lang,
Andrianopoulos, & Boscardin, 2010). An additional limitation of the research to date
is an absence of behavior-analytic specific ethical considerations when practitioners
utilize a telehealth service delivery model. The purpose of this paper is to review
whether special risk reduction strategies related to the use of telehealth with autism
spectrum disorder have been documented or reported in the literature. Results suggest
that explicit step-by-step documentation of practices is sparse.