1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The purpose of this project was to examine the implementation of CentralReach in an early intervention center that delivers ABA [Applied behavioural analysis] therapy to children with ASD [autism spectrum disorder], through the perspectives of parents and educators using a mixed-method approach.» (p. iii)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The two research questions are as follows: «Are there significant differences in educators’ perceived accuracy and efficiency of data collection and progress monitoring methods, when comparing traditional pen and paper to CentralReach? [And how] does formal training with CentralReach impact parent involvement in their child’s ABA intervention program?» (p. 18)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon est composé de 20 thérapeutes (17 femmes et 3 hommes), dont 10 proviennent d’une clinique publique et 10 d’une clinique privée. De plus, 3 parents (2 mères et 1 père) ont participé à des ateliers avec la chercheuse. La provenance des participants n’est pas mentionnée, mais la recherche a été conduite par une équipe de Montréal.

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«In terms of perceived accuracy, the results [that concerns therapists] did not show any statistically significant differences between the two methods. [Also, the] results for perceived efficiency showed that educators using CentralReach perceived data collection and progress monitoring methods to be overall more efficient than educators using pen and paper methods.» (p. 39-40) On the parents’ side, the «reports following the workshop showed overall increased enthusiasm, understanding and confidence towards using CentralReach, which may have played a role in their increased involvement. Closer analysis of parent data indicated that perspectives varied based on the parents’ level of comfort using the software and their perceived efficiency of the software.» (p. 43) «Although there were no statistically significant differences in parent involvement in their child’s ABA therapy, there was a positive trend towards an increase in involvement at the post-assessment following the CentralReach workshop. […] Results describing parent stress were similar to those in the literature, where it was found that higher stress levels had a negative effect on parent involvement […]. Although we can observe that stress had an impact on parent involvement, progression monitoring software may not necessarily be playing a role in alleviating this stress.» (p. 44)