Intractable Rare Dis Res. 2014;3(4):166-177. (DOI: 10.5582/irdr.2014.01026)

Parent-delivered touchscreen intervention for children with fragile X syndrome.

Diez-Juan M, Schneider A, Phillips T, Lozano R, Tassone F, Solomon M, Hagerman R

The use of touchscreen applications for the iPad® allows children with disabilities to improve their personal autonomy and quality of life. In light of this emerging literature and our clinical experience with toddlers and children with Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a randomized clinical trial pilot study was conducted of whether an interactive iPad®- based parent training program was efficacious for both individuals with FXS and autism spectrum disorder aged 2-to-12 compared to wait-listed controls. As a second goal, we assessed the difference between direct person-to-person therapy vs. online therapy sessions through telehealth. In this case series report it is presented preliminary results of four individuals with FXS enrolled in the study and described the innovative experience including qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Furthermore, we provide professionals with specific guidelines about the use of touchscreen devices as in-home learning tools and parent training strategies to actively involve families in educational treatments in conjunction with clinical guidance.

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