Intervention services positively impact outcomes of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. However, families face many burdens when accessing high-quality intervention services such as availability of providers, time, and cost; these burdens are often magnified for underserved families. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the acceptability (n = 17) and cost-effectiveness (n = 18) of a 12-week telehealth intervention among families of young children with ASD. To understand the acceptability of the intervention, caregivers completed a questionnaire about the process and content of the intervention. We then used descriptive statistics to calculate estimated cost differences between a Clinic-based Model, an In-Home Model, and a Telehealth Model. Results suggest that families found the intervention highly acceptable and effective, and telehealth would result in exponential savings for both families and providers. Telehealth provides a promising method for serving an increased number of families, particularly those in underserved and rural areas.

中文翻译：

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自闭症儿童家庭远程医疗干预的可接受性和成本比较

干预服务对自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 儿童及其家人的结果产生积极影响。然而，家庭在获得高质量干预服务时面临许多负担，例如提供者的可用性、时间和成本；对于服务不足的家庭来说，这些负担往往被放大。因此，本研究的目的是调查 ASD 幼儿家庭 12 周远程医疗干预的可接受性（n = 17）和成本效益（n = 18）。为了了解干预的可接受性，护理人员完成了一份关于干预过程和内容的问卷。然后，我们使用描述性统计来计算基于诊所的模型、家庭模型和远程医疗模型之间的估计成本差异。结果表明，家庭认为干预是高度可接受和有效的，远程医疗将为家庭和提供者带来指数级的节省。远程医疗为越来越多的家庭提供了一种很有前景的方法，尤其是服务欠缺和农村地区的家庭。