In the spring of 2020, autism intervention programs in Geneva, Switzerland, were forced to close during a state-mandated home confinement period, in the response to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therapists from three programs were asked to move early, intensive intervention sessions to an online video-conferencing format, providing primarily remote parent-implemented intervention sessions over a two-month period. In this study, we assessed the participation and satisfaction of 45 families from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, with 43 young children on the autism spectrum, and 5 toddlers who were suspected of having autism, as they experienced intervention services via telehealth for the first time. We provided questionnaires, to both the parents and the therapists working with them. Parents, regardless of socioeconomic status or cultural background, were highly motivated and engaged to learn the intervention strategies, with most families reporting high levels of satisfaction with the intensive, remote parent coaching model. The majority of parents reported that they progressed more in their interaction skills with their child with the daily remote coaching sessions, compared to services they received prior to the pandemic. Additionally, parents reported a positive experience with a much higher frequency of coaching sessions than has previously been studied. In our monitoring of child developmental progress, we observed a pattern of continued significant improvement across domains, without any stagnation of progress during the telehealth period. Our findings support previous studies that have demonstrated the benefits of telehealth services for young families with children on the autism spectrum, and go further to demonstrate high levels of satisfaction and motivation with caregivers from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, when provided with a high frequency of remote parent-implemented intervention.

Objectives Community-based early autism intervention programs in Geneva, Switzerland, converted their in-person services to a telehealth format during the COVID-19 home confinement period. The current study was aimed at measuring the engagement and satisfaction of service providers and caregivers as they experienced telehealth services for the first time and at monitoring child progress. Methods Forty-five families from diverse backgrounds and their 45 service providers had daily videoconferencing sessions of primarily parent-mediated intervention. Satisfaction questionnaires were completed at three time points over a 2-month period. Session frequency and program participation were recorded. Caregiver and service provider’s answers were compared. Results were also analyzed by family annual income. Child progress was monitored using the Early Start Denver Model Curriculum Checklist. Results Caregivers and service providers maintained high levels of participation and satisfaction throughout the telehealth service period and appreciated how the telehealth format allowed them to meet more frequently. Lower-income families tended to be more unanimously positive about the services when compared with mid- and high-income families. We found significant group differences in service providers’ and caregivers’ perceptions of each other’s comfort level with the remote sessions. Child progress followed a pattern of continued significant improvement across most developmental domains during the telehealth service period. Conclusions These findings underscore the potential of telehealth as a promising and appreciated approach for delivering intensive early autism interventions in community settings. Further research is needed to determine optimal session frequency for remote parent-mediated intervention and to determine ways to make telehealth services more accessible for low-income families.