Telehealth ABA support for hospitalized autistic youth
Transforming Hospitalizations of Autistic Adolescents via a Novel ABA Telehealth Platform
This project brings remote ABA behavioral support to hospitalized autistic children and teens to help manage challenging behaviors during their hospital stay.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Caring Technologies, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boise, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11141843 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child is autistic and hospitalized because of challenging behaviors, this project uses a telehealth platform to deliver brief Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) assessments and coaching to hospital staff and families. Specialized clinicians connect remotely to guide behavioral strategies, help reduce restraints, and support safer transitions back home or to step-down care. The team will deploy their digital system in community hospitals that often lack ABA expertise and collect data on behavior, staffing needs, and family satisfaction. This builds on earlier work showing shorter stays and better outcomes when hospital-focused ABA is used.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Hospitalized autistic children and adolescents who are having behavioral crises or challenges, and their families, especially at community hospitals without in-person ABA services.
Not a fit: Children who are not hospitalized, do not have autism, or require specialized medical or psychiatric care beyond behavioral support are unlikely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could shorten hospital stays, reduce use of restraints, and help children return home more safely and with less stress.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier pilot deployments of a brief hospital-focused ABA intervention showed improvements in behaviors, fewer restraints, and high family satisfaction, and this project extends that approach via telehealth.
Where this research is happening
Boise, United States
- Caring Technologies, INC. — Boise, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oberleitner, Ronald — Caring Technologies, INC.
- Study coordinator: Oberleitner, Ronald
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.