Clinician Perspectives on Telehealth Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT: This study examined clinician insights into telehealth assessment services for autism spectrum disorder implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. 35 clinicians from multiple disciplines across 17 sites in the Autism Care Network were interviewed. Themes identified through qualitative analyses included factors related to confidence in diagnosis (impressions of in-home observation; child and family factors that affected diagnostic confidence; changes in rapport); patient and family factors related to telehealth (perceived family benefits of and barriers to telehealth; factors related to healthcare disparities; factors specific to non-native English speakers); and institutional and workplace factors related to transitioning to telehealth (institutional support; changes to efficacy, attendance, and work satisfaction). Results suggest that telehealth has potential to be an effective tool in autism assessment practice.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10803-022-05435-z.

SUBMITTER: Kryszak E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8804366 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature