Self-Directed Web-Based Parent-Mediated Interventions for Autistic Children: A systematic review

Background Self-directed web-based parent-mediated intervention programs may help counter some barriers associated with access to evidence-based practices. Methods The current study is a systematic review of 14 studies that included parent-mediated intervention programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), reported on child outcomes, and included a self-directed, web-based component. Results Online interventions with self-directed components were efficacious in increasing parent fidelity, child social-communication behaviors, adaptive behaviors, and decreasing anxiety. Studies reviewed were of moderate to high quality and varied in experimental design, inclusion of representative samples, and fidelity reporting. Conclusions Web-based parent-mediated interventions are establishing a promising evidence-base in the literature and may expand access to evidence-based treatment for autistic children. Future research in this area calls for additional investigation on the effect of coaching, implementation with community samples, instructional design features, and use of multimodal outcome measures.