The effectiveness of a family training program offered by distance learning via video conferencing teaching mothers to prepare and implement activity schedules

The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a family training program offered by distance education via video conferencing teaching mothers with children with ASD how to prepare and implement activity schedules. The additional aim of the study is also to determine the effectiveness of the teaching process offered by mothers to their children to acquire the skills of following activity schedules. The study is based on a single-subject research design, where AB Model and Multiple Probe Model with Probe Conditions Across Subject Model were used. The mothers were trained through a family training program consisting of two parts, one providing them with the ability to prepare, and another with the ability to implement activity schedules. These two parts of the program were presented to the mothers via video conferencing over the internet, and they consisted of three stages. Firstly, the stage of informing the mothers about preparing and implementing activity schedules was carried out with techniques such as pre-knowledge, modeling, discussion, and question-answer using primarily visual slide presentations. Secondly the mothers applied their knowledge from the first stage to teach their children with ASD to follow the activity schedules consisting of daily selfcare skills. Finally, feedback was given to the mothers for their ability to successfully teach the activity schedules to their children with ASD. According to the data obtained at the end of the study, it was observed that mothers gained the skills of preparing activity schedules, and that mothers acquired the skills of teaching how to follow activity schedules. In the findings, it was also determined that at the end of the instruction provided by the mothers, the children acquired the ability to follow activity schedules and two out of three children diagnosed with ASD were able to generalize the skills to a different schedule. In the social validity data, it was determined that the mothers gave a very positive opinion about the content of the program and its presentation through distance education, and the children gave a very positive opinion about the teaching process offered by their mothers, and the social validity of the study was high.