Treatment and tele-rehabilitation home-based for Autistic Spectrum disorder: The ATHENA project

Journal title RICERCHE DI PSICOLOGIA
Author/s Mario Allegra, Marco Arrigo, Antonia Ayala, Gaspare Cusimano, Manuel Gentile, Dario La Guardia, Pio Martines, Giovanna Mendolia, Linda Messineo
Publishing Year 2019 Issue 2019/3 Language Italian
Pages 14 P. 505-518 File size 189 KB
DOI 10.3280/RIP2019-003004
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

This article describes guidelines for the project "Home-based therapy and Tele-treatment for Autistic Spectrum disorder" (ATHENA). The main objective of the project is to provide psychoeducational treatment to children as young as 12-48 months with autism spectrum disorders or a pattern of development that shows risks for developing autism. The treatment model is inspired by the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). The intervention program is divided in three parts: one that takes place at the outpatient clinic, another that occurs in the child’s home, and another telehealth part that is mediated by the parents. The activities included in the study are part of an agreement between the Institute of Tecnologie Didattiche of Consiglio Nazionale Ricerche and the Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale of Trapani. The project consists of low-intensity tele-treatment where the activities and therapy take place in the child’s natural environment. The use of technology in this project aims to encourage the empowerment of the family and is thought to promote treatment sustainability as well as reduce costs and stress that would occur if the child were to be taken to clinics. The use of telehealth in neurodevelopmental disorders has significantly increased in recent years in all areas where a reliable internet connection enables contact with patients in rural and isolated areas or where a home-based therapy is more appropriate.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorders, telehealth, empowerment, Early Start Denver Model, early intervention.

  1. Rogers, S. J., & Dawson, G. (2010). Early Start Denver Model for young children with autism. New York, Guilford Press.
  2. Abidin, R.R. (2012). Parenting Stress Index, Fourth Edition (PSI-4). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
  3. Aresti-Bartolome, N., & Garcia-Zapirain, B. (2014). Technologies as Support Tools for Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(8), 7767-7802.
  4. Baharav, E., & Reiser, C. (2010). Using telepractice in parent training in early aut i s m . Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 16(6), 727-31.
  5. Boisvert, M., Lang, R., Andrianopoulos, M., & Boscardin M. L. (2010).
  6. Telepractice in the assessment and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 13(6), 423-432. DOI: 10.3109/17518423.2010.499889
  7. Dawson, G., Rogers, S., Munson, J., Smith, M., Winter J., Greenson, J., Donaldson, A., & Varley J. (2010). Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: the Early Start Denver Model. Pediatrics, 125(1):e17-e23.
  8. Devescovi, R., Monista, L., Mancini, A., Bin, M., Zago, C., & Carrozzi, M. (2017). Diagnosi precoce dei disturbi dello spettro autistico. Medico e Bambino, 36, 511-517.
  9. Fondazione Cesare Serono/Censis (2012). Impatto della Disabilità.
  10. Gettings, S., Franco, F., & Santosh, P.J. (2015). Facilitating support groups for siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders using audio-conferencing: a longitudinal feasibility study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 7; 9:8.
  11. Grzadzinski, R., Carr, T., Colombi, C., McGuire, K., Dufek, S., Pickles, A., & Lord, C. (2016). Measuring Changes in Social Communication Behaviors: Preliminary Development of the Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(7), 2464-79.
  12. Hepburn, S.L., Blakeley-Smith, A., Wolff, B., & Reaven, J.A. (2016). Telehealth delivery of cognitive-behavioral intervention to youth with autism spectrum disorder and anxiety: A pilot study. Autism, 20(2), 207-18. DOI: 10.1177/1362361315575164
  13. Istituto Superiore della Sanità (2011). Il trattamento dei disturbi dello spettro autistico nei bambini e negli adolescenti, Sistema nazionale per le Linee Guida ISS – SNLG21, Roma.
  14. Kobak, K.A., Stone, W.L., Wallace, E., Warren, Z., Swanson, A., & Robson, K. (2011). A web-based tutorial for parents of young children with autism: Results from a pilot study. Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 17(10), 804-808.
  15. Koren, P. E., DeChillo, N., & Friesen, B. J. (1992). Measuring empowerment in families whose children have emotional disabilities: A brief questionnaire. Rehabilitation Psychology, 37(4), 305-321.
  16. Lindgren, S., Wacker, D., Suess, A., Schieltz, K., Pelzel, K., Kopelman, T., Lee J., Romani, P., & Waldron, D. (2016). Telehealth and Autism: Treating Challenging Behavior at Lower Cost. Pediatrics, 137(S2):e20152851O.
  17. Lord., C., & Bishop, S.L. (2010). Autism spectrum disorder: Diagnosis, prevalence, and services for children and families. Society for Research in Child Development Public Policy Report.
  18. Lord, C., Luyster, R. J., Gotham, K., & Guthrie, W. (2012). Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) Manual (Part II): Toddler Module. Torrance, CA: Western Psychological Services.
  19. Lord, C., Rutter, M., & Le Couteur, A. (1994). Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised: a revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24(5), 659-685. DOI: 10.1007/BF02172145
  20. Marí-Bauset, S., Zazpe, I., Mari-Sanchis, A., Llopis-González, A., & Morales-Suárez-Varela, M. (2014). Food selectivity in Autism spectrum Disorder: a systematic review. Journal of Child Neurology, 29(11), 1554-61. DOI: 10.1177/0883073813498821
  21. Martines, P., & Virzì, A.R. (2017). Il centro per l’autismo dell’Azienda Sanitaria di Trapani, Diagnosi precoce e trattamento tempestivo nei Disturbi dello spettro autistico, Autismo e disturbi dello sviluppo, 15, 397-414.
  22. McConachie, H, & Diggle, T. (2007). Parent implemented early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 13(1), 120-9.
  23. Ministero della Salute (2012). Telemedicina linee di indirizzo nazionali. Reese, R. M., Braun, M. J., Hoffmeier, S., Stickle, L., Rinner, L., Smith, C., Ellerbeck, K., Jamison, R., Wendland, M., Jarrett, L., & Hadorn, M. (2015).
  24. Preliminary Evidence for the Integrated Systems Using Telemedicine. Telemedicine and e-Health, 21(7), 581-7.
  25. Reese, R. M., Jamison, R., Wendland, M., Fleming, K., Braun, M.J., Schuttler, J. O., & Turek, J. (2013). Evaluating interactive videoconferencing for assessing symptoms of autism. Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 19(9), 671-677.
  26. Rogers, S. J., Dawson, G., & Vismara, L.A. (2015). Un intervento precoce per il tuo bambino con autismo. Come utilizzare l'Early Start Denver Model in famiglia, Ed. Hogrefe.
  27. Schieve, L. A., Blumberg, S. J., Rice, C., Visser, S. N., & Boyle, C. (2007). The relationship between autism and parenting stress. Pediatrics, 119 (Supp. 1), S114-S121.
  28. Schutte, J. L., McCue, M. P., Parmanto, B., McGonigle, J., Handen, B., Lewis, A., Pulantara, I. W., & Saptono, A. (2015). Usability and reliability of a remotely administered adult autism assessment, the autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS) module 4. Telemedicine Journal and E-Health, 21(3), 176-84.
  29. Sparrow, S. S., Cicchetti, V. D., & Balla, A. D. (2005). Vineland adaptive behavior scales. 2nd edition. American Guidance Service; Circle Pines, MN.
  30. Vismara, L. A., Colombi, C., & Rogers, S. J. (2009). Can one hour per week of therapy lead to lasting changes in young children with autism? Autism, 13(1), 93-115. DOI: 10.1177/1362361307098516
  31. Vismara, L. A., Young, G. S., & Rogers, S. J. (2012). Telehealth for expanding the reach of early autism training to parents. Autism Research and Treatment, 121878. DOI: 10.1155/2012/121878
  32. Wacker, D.P., Lee, J.F., Padilla Dalmau, Y.C., Kopelman, T.G., Lindgren, S.D., Kuhle, J., Pelzel, K.E., Dyson, S., Schieltz, K.M., & Waldron, D.B. (2013a). Conducting functional communication training via telehealth to reduce the problem behavior of young children with autism. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 25(1), 35-48.
  33. Wacker, D.P., Lee, J.F., Dalmau, Y.C.P., Kopelman, T.G., Lindgren, S.D., Kuhle, J., Pelzel, K.E., & Waldron, D.B. (2013b). Conducting functional analyses of problem behavior via telehealth. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 46(1), 31-46.

  • A Parent-Mediated Telehealth Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Manuel Gentile, Linda Messineo, Dario La Guardia, Marco Arrigo, Giuseppe Città, Antonia Ayala, Gaspare Cusimano, Pio Martines, Giovanna Mendolia, Mario Allegra, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders /2022 pp.5285
    DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05482-6

Mario Allegra, Marco Arrigo, Antonia Ayala, Gaspare Cusimano, Manuel Gentile, Dario La Guardia, Pio Martines, Giovanna Mendolia, Linda Messineo, Abilitazione e Tele-abilitazione Home-based per i Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico: il progetto ATHENA in "RICERCHE DI PSICOLOGIA " 3/2019, pp 505-518, DOI: 10.3280/RIP2019-003004