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Review
. 2022 Mar 16;15(4):1348-1360.
doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00682-z. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Eight Months of Telehealth for a State-Funded Project in Foster Care and Related Services: Progress Made and Lessons Learned

Jodi C Coon  1 , Helena Bush  1 , John T Rapp  1
Affiliations
Review

Eight Months of Telehealth for a State-Funded Project in Foster Care and Related Services: Progress Made and Lessons Learned

Jodi C Coon et al. Behav Anal Pract. .

Abstract

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many behavior analysts and other health professionals modified their services for delivery via telehealth modalities. The transition to telehealth is especially important for providers working with foster youth who exhibit challenging behavior because these youth often move to another placement due to such behaviors. The primary objective of this article was to evaluate the extent to which service indicators for a state-funded team working with foster youth changed after the service delivery model changed from in-person to telehealth services. In particular, we evaluated changes in monthly count of client contacts, appointments, intakes, closed cases, and medication reviews. The secondary objective was to outline potential benefits and environmental barriers encountered by the team and to integrate our findings with the literature on behavior-analytic services provided via telehealth. Overall, results show that we maintained service quality with a broad range of behavioral interventions and increased overall client appointments. Given these outcomes, our team may continue to provide behavioral services via telehealth after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: ABA services; Behavioral services; Foster care; Parent training; Telehealth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestWe have no known conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of APMRT services model. Note. Assessment and treatment type varied based on severity of case. Apart from psychotropic medication review services, all actions were completed by LBAs
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Number of participants contacted across months. Note. Some participants were contacted but did not receive services for various reasons (e.g., client moved, caregiver did not want telehealth services). In addition, for four of the months, the count of participants contacted is higher than 25 (the number of total participants who received telehealth services). This occurred when an LBA contacted a case worker or caregiver about a participant, but behavioral services were not delivered (e.g., meeting with DHR, caregiver request services be terminated)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Number of behavioral services intakes completed across months
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Number of behavioral services cases closed across months
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Number of medication reviews completed across months
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Number of client appointments across months
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2011). Retrieved April 17, 2021 from https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BACB_Newsletter_05_2011.pdf
    1. Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). BACB certificant data. Retrieved April 17, 2021 from https://www.bacb.com/BACB-certificant-data
    1. Bush, H., Rapp, J. T., & Kierce, E. (2021). Combining stimulants with antipsychotics for foster children and adolescents: Do prescribers adhere to guidelines? Children & Youth Services Review, 121. Advance online publication. 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105902
    1. Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act, Pub. L. No. 112-34, 42 U.S.C. § 1305 C.F.R. (2011).
    1. Coon JC, Rapp JT. Application of multiple baseline designs in behavior analytic research: Evidence for the influence of new guidelines. Behavioral Interventions. 2018;33(2):160–172. doi: 10.1002/bin.1510. - DOI

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