Caregiver ECHO: A Model for Delivering Virtual Behavior Management Education to Families of Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Abstract

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are at high risk of challenging behavior, yet families experience consistent barriers to affordable parent education in behavior management. This study tested the efficacy of a caregiver-focused Extensions of Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) program in delivering behavior management education and support to caregivers of children with NDD. A pre-post design was used to evaluate impact on 30 caregivers' behavioral knowledge, self-efficacy in managing challenging behavior, empowerment, and negative emotional reactions to challenging behavior. Participation resulted in significant improvements across outcomes and high satisfaction. The Caregiver ECHO model offers advantages in that it emphasizes peer learning, active problem solving, and community building as core components of its approach while using low-cost methodologies.