Occupational Therapy via Telehealth for Families Raising Children with Autism

Family health is an emerging practice area in occupational therapy that has potential to improve overall family health and participation in daily activities. Families raising children with autism may experience challenges that families raising typically developing children may not experience, and occupational therapy has been shown to improve both child and family outcomes. This study seeks to determine the preliminary effectiveness of the Healthy Families Flourish Program, a ten-session occupational therapy intervention program delivered via telehealth to support families raising school-aged children with autism. Four New Hampshire families were recruited for participation in this study. Weekly sessions took place and families collaborated with us to create goals and employ strategies to reach those goals. Quantitative measures were employed pre- and post-intervention to determine preliminary effectiveness of the program. Results show that the intervention program was successful in creating progress toward family goals as well as improving areas of family communication, engagement, and cohesion. Participant testimonials suggest that programs such as the Healthy Families Flourish Program have potential to create significant change for families raising children with autism