Telehealth Parent Coaching to Improve Activity Participation for Young Children With ASD and SPD

Telehealth Parent Coaching to Improve Activity Participation for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorders: A Prospective Study

This clinical trial aims to develop parent-child interaction strategy coaching and sensory processing strategy coaching via Telehealth and examine the feasibility and efficacy of the interventions in young children with autism spectrum disorder who have sensory processing disorder.

In the first experiment, the investigators will apply a single-subject research design and one-group pre-post test design to explore the feasibility of the coaching interventions. In the second experiment, RCT design will be used to examine the effectiveness of parent coaching. Sixty-five children with ASD and their parents will be randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The intervention group will receive weekly parent-child interaction and sensory processing strategy coaching for 12 weeks. The control group will be provided with weekly self-learning materials and group discussion session for 12 weeks. Additionally, the follow-up test will be administered three months after the intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

• The child is 3 to 5 years old
• The child is diagnosed with ASD by a child psychiatrist or specialist in psychology based on the DSM-5's diagnostic criteria
• The child's score falls within the category of dysfunction in one or more sensory processing functions in the Sensory Profile (3-10 years old version)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children diagnosed with major neuromuscular dysfunction or other disease diagnoses, such as epilepsy or other genetic diseases
• Children whose parents could not speak Hokkenese or Chinese and read in Chinese
• Individuals who have participated in the first year of this study