“It Gave Me Some Hope.” Parent experiences with a new telehealth parent-mediated learning intervention for an autistic child

Abstract

Autistic children often require support in various competencies during early childhood. Parents and practitioners must collaborate for optimal child outcomes. Previous research indicates that parent-mediated learning supports children’s social communication, encourages parent-practitioner collaboration, and fosters parental feelings of support. However, there are limited studies on parent experiences with this intervention approach. The present study explored parent experiences with a new telehealth parent-mediated learning intervention designed to support children’s turn taking. Thematic analysis of 10 transcribed intervention sessions revealed the benefits of a mutual parent-practitioner relationship, parental feelings of support, and parent intervention acceptability. These findings are consistent with other studies on the parent-mediated learning approach and have implications for future practices in early intervention. Further research with multiple parents may provide additional insight into this intervention model’s acceptability and supportive nature.