Family-Centered Occupational Therapy and Telerehabilitation for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The purpose of this pilot project was to explore the use of telerehabilitation for collaborative occupational therapy sessions with parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The aim was to improve carryover of therapeutic strategies by parents to address children's sensory modulation in their natural environments. Four families participated in clinic-based sessions with the therapist followed by online sessions for six weeks. Data consisted of family schedules, sensory diets, archived webcam sessions, and Sensory Processing Measure Home Form scores before and after initiation of the telerehabilitation sessions. Results demonstrated the potential for using telerehabilitation as a tool to provide collaborative occupational therapy in order to improve carryover of home programs for children with ASD by providing opportunities for parents to ask questions, review sensory techniques, and understand the therapist's clinical reasoning