Telecoaching Intervention for Children With Autism and Their Parents in Palestine

Families of children with autism in Palestine may have difficulty accessing early intervention and rehabilitation services because specialized services are limited and families may face geographical, financial, and other barriers. Providing support to parents remotely may help families access professional guidance without needing to travel for every session. This pilot study examined whether an eight-week parent telecoaching program called Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) could be delivered successfully and was acceptable to parents of young children with autism in Palestine. The study also explored changes in children's participation in everyday activities and autism-related characteristics, as well as parents' confidence in supporting their child and their quality of life. Because this was a small pilot study, these outcomes were explored to help plan future research rather than to determine whether the intervention was effective. Parents were assigned to one of two groups. Parents in the telecoaching group received eight individual online coaching sessions over eight weeks, with each session lasting approximately 40-60 minutes. Coaching helped parents identify activities that were important to their child and family, understand difficulties affecting the child's participation, develop possible strategies, try these strategies during everyday routines, and review progress with the coach. Parents in the waitlist group had access to general Arabic-language information and videos about autism through the Sanad Alhayaa digital platform during the eight-week comparison period but did not receive individual coaching. After completing the post-intervention assessment, they were offered the telecoaching program. The study also included interviews with parents who received telecoaching to better understand their experiences, perceived benefits, and barriers to using this form of support.