Teaching Caregivers of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia to Implement Naturalistic Strategies via Telepractice

Utilizing the family-centered approach and providing interventions in natural environments are two common early intervention practices. One way to apply these two practices is to teach caregivers to deliver naturalistic strategies. Using a single-case experimental multiple-probe design, the study examined the impact of training and coaching on three caregivers’ implementation of naturalistic intervention strategies with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia. The caregivers received individual training and coaching sessions on naturalistic strategies via videoconferencing. Results showed a functional relation between caregiver training and coaching and their use of naturalistic strategies. Results also showed improvement in the children’s social communication, including verbal requests and the number of words per utterance. The caregivers reported positive perceptions of the study’s goal, procedures, and outcomes. This study has two key contributions. It enhanced the effectiveness and feasibility of training Arab families on naturalist strategies via telepractice. It also strengthened the benefits of naturalistic strategies on child social communication outcomes.