USING TELEMEDICINE TO CONDUCT BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENTS

• Published in: Journal of applied behavior analysis Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 333 - 340
• Main Authors: Barretto, Anjali, Wacker, David P., Harding, Jay, Lee, John, Berg, Wendy K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2006; Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior
• Subjects: Access to Health Care; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Applied behavior analysis; Autistic Disorder - psychology; Behavior; Behavior Disorders; Behavior Patterns; Behavior Problems; Biological and medical sciences; brief functional analysis; Cameras; Case Studies; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Clinics; Communications networks; Conduct Disorder - diagnosis; Conduct Disorder - epidemiology; Conduct Disorder - etiology; Conferences; Control Groups; Cost Effectiveness; Developmental disabilities; Educational Objectives; Families & family life; Foster care; Functional Behavioral Assessment; Health care; Hospitals; Humans; Incidence; Iowa; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical Care Evaluation; Medical research; Medical sciences; Medical Services; Miscellaneous; Multimedia; National libraries; Outpatient care facilities; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Rural Areas; Self destructive behavior; severe problem behavior; Severity of Illness Index; Special education; Telecommunications systems; Teleconferencing; Telemedicine; Telemedicine - methods; Telemedicine - statistics & numerical data; Iowa; Human; Telemedicine; Behavioral analysis; brief functional analysis; severe problem behavior; Functional analysis; Behavioral disorder
• ISSN: 0021-8855; 1938-3703
• DOI: 10.1901/jaba.2006.173-04

We describe the use of telemedicine by the Biobehavioral Service at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to conduct brief functional analyses for children with developmental and behavioral disorders who live in rural areas of Iowa. Instead of being served at our outpatient facility, participants received initial behavioral assessments in their local schools or social service agencies via videoconference. Case descriptions for 2 participants whose evaluations were conducted via telemedicine, and a brief summary of all outpatient assessments conducted over a 4‐year period by the Biobehavioral Service, are provided. This report extends previous applications of functional analysis procedures by examining brief behavioral assessments conducted via telemedicine.