An evaluation of the effectiveness of a telehealth-delivered behavioural intervention for toilet training takiwātanga/autistic tamariki/children.

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Psychology
Degree name
Master of Arts
Publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
English
Date
2023
Authors
Aldersley, Hannah Kate
Abstract

Toileting is a critical life skill that is needed for all individuals to be able to live independently. Toileting difficulties are highly prevalent among takiwātanga/autistic tamariki/children and are thought to result from a range of biological, psychological, and behavioural factors. If left untreated, toileting difficulties can results in a range of challenges for both tamariki and their whānau including social, emotional, educational, and financial difficulties. Many studies have investigated the effectiveness of behavioural interventions for toileting difficulties in takiwātanga tamariki. This research suggests that behavioural interventions such as rapid toilet training, and behavioural methods such as graduated guidance, reinforcement, scheduled sittings, elimination schedule, hydration, manipulation of stimulus control, and priming, are among the most successful approaches for improving toileting behaviour in takiwātanga tamariki. However, there is limited research looking at the effectiveness of such interventions delivered via telehealth and its secondary effects on quality of life, child behaviour, and parent well-being. The present study aimed to: (a) investigate the effectiveness of telehealth-delivered behavioural interventions for toileting in 2-5 year old takiwātanga tamariki, (b) identify the level of therapist assistance required for an effective telehealth intervention for toilet training, (c) assess the collateral benefit of improvement in toileting behaviour on a child's daytime behaviour, adaptive functioning, quality of life, and parental well-being, and (d) identify whether the telehealth approach is perceived by parents to be culturally responsive, acceptable, and beneficial. Seven, 2-5-yearold takiwātanga tamariki and their parents participated in this study. The effectiveness of a telehealth-delivered toileting intervention was evaluated using a single-case multiple baseline across participants design study. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured using toileting diaries and the Profile of Toileting Issues. Secondary effects were assessed using a combination of psychometrics including the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) which were administered pre-and post-intervention. The intervention consisted of three subphases: parent psychoeducation, parent group coaching, and individualised parent support which lasted for four weeks each. Results indicated that the intervention was effective at improving toileting behaviours including in-toilet urination and toileting independence across all seven participants, as measured through daily toileting diaries. This improvement was maintained or further improved at the 12-week follow-up for all five tamariki with available follow-up data. Through evaluation of toileting diaries, the intervention was also found to be effective at increasing in-toilet defecation for six out of seven participants. This was maintained or improved on at follow-up for two out of three tamariki with available followup data. Toileting behaviour steadily improved for most tamariki across intervention phases. However, the most significant change was seen during phase three indicating individualised specialist support to be necessary for the successful implementation of a toileting intervention for takiwātanga tamariki. The study did not find consistent improvements in quality of life, child behaviour, and parental well-being across all participants. However, improvement was seen for 7/7 tamariki in behaviour when using the CBCL, and 12/14 parents in well-being when using the DASS21, with some to a clinically significant degree. In general, parents who completed the telehealth intervention found it to be reasonable, of low cost, and effective in improving their child’s toileting behaviours. The present findings add to the limited literature examining the effectiveness of telehealth-delivered behavioural toileting intervention for takiwātanga tamariki. Further research is needed to investigate the maintenance of positive impacts long term, and to enhance our understanding of the role of participant specific variables in intervention outcomes.

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