Telehealth and Autism: A Systematic Search and Review of the Literature
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Sutherland, R., Trembath, D., et al. (2018).
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20(3), 324-336.
This systematic review investigates the outcomes of telehealth services in individuals on the autism spectrum. This article extends but does not replace a previous systematic review by Boisvert et al. 2010 (see the Notes on This Article section below for more details).
<div>Findings indicate that services and supports provided via telehealth provide a range of benefits to individuals on the autism spectrum, their families/caregivers, and their teachers. Overall, studies reported positive outcomes. Due to low study quality, current research suggests that telehealth for diagnostic assessments can not yet be considered an established practice.</div>
<div>The majority of included studies (9/14) reported high levels of parent satisfaction and acceptability with telehealth services and telehealth assessment. "In addition, two studies that involved direct telehealth involvement with individuals on the [autism] spectrum … reported high participant satisfaction" (p. 333).</div>
