**2. Methods and materials**

To allow for a more thorough understanding of the variables, a mixed-methods approach for data collection and analysis was used. A critical and necessary step that prepares bases for collaborative problem-solving, which allows for regarding supports to enhance a health innovation's perceived fit within community settings, is to adopt a mixed approach to data collection and analysis [25]. Currently, the available wealth of data focuses on quantitative aspects of impacts of online training for parents and parent-mediated intervention, parents and practitioners' perceptions as the main stakeholders of this service delivery model have yet to be examined as a primary outcome variable [26], which is possible to understand concerning the qualitative aspect of the programs. This study used both parents and online training provider centers personnel as key stakeholders and a mixedmethods approach to examine their perceptions of the presented online course. Overall, the parents and staff involved in the 30 daycare centers were volunteered to participate in 2 months of online service provision for parents in which the provided information is used. The withdrawn centers were reluctant to participate

#### *Parenting - Challenges of Child Rearing in a Changing Society*

and mostly preferred to standby and wait for the center reopening and going back to their usual routine of face-to-face services.

The following resources are made available to the centers who then share with parents.


The main source for all the above activities was the Omid program [13, 14] for parents and caregivers. Each center prepared one special individual schedule for each individual with two daily 45 minutes virtual meeting sessions (one in the morning, one in the evening).

General data regarding each step were shared in each center's parental group, and each individual was tracked by the key person individually through daily contacts that each center had with the caregivers.

Data were shared from each center with the course coordinator, each center received feedback and suggestions based on the information they provided.

A key person's level of activities in the group based on meeting the deadlines, providing the requested information, and the number of shared documents (videos, voices, and pictures) from their centers was also rated.

The present data were collected over 8 weeks of consecutive daily service provision for 30 centers for children with ASD in different geographical areas of the country. In the beginning, parents were asked about their main challenges regarding their child's caregiving at the time of lockdown. They also rated parental perception of the severity of ASD symptoms from the parents to understand the way that parental understanding regarding the ASD severity in their child by using self-rated scales also considered. Online training provider centers were also tried to

#### *Online Training for Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders during COVID-19… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102949*

rate parental engagement in the caregiving process through their online activities, attained objectives, shared data, and provided the demanded documents. Parental satisfaction with caregiving was also evaluated. Parents' and daycare centers' attitudes on the online course were also evaluated before the course.

During the training sessions, centers were trying to improve interaction among child and parent in a modified home setting employing behavioral techniques and structured teaching strategies by pictures and objects and considering daily routines. The sessions were developed considering a weekly curriculum focusing on communication, sensory, and cognitive domains. Parents were coached through sharing short video clips, pictures, and online sources and encouraged to imitate a similar approach and video application of the information at home. All the home-based session was monitored by the centers' key person, and the biweekly data were prepared and transferred by the key person to the course supervisor. Telecommunication facilities such as mobile phones and tablets or similar devices, home Internet access, the freeware program (in this study, WhatApp version 4.0.0 with the free calling feature applied) for document and link sharing, online video callings, observing the home session, and coaching the parent were used. The centers' key person provided feedback, prompts, and training for proper application of the recommended strategies. Besides, there was a virtual meeting place for sharing information and contacting the ASD professionals to answer questions. Entire sessions were video-recorded by centers for understanding the parental question and to help with updating the training.

Pre- and post-measures design employed to understand the quantitative impacts of online training and all measurements applied twice over the study period. Assessment measures administered at pre and post-course were as follows:

