Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2025; 15(4): 102645
Published online Apr 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i4.102645
Enhancing autism care through remote support: A family-centered approach
Jun-Jie Zhang, En-Na Wang
Jun-Jie Zhang, En-Na Wang, School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang JJ and Wang EN contributed to this paper; Zhang JJ designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Wang EN contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Zhang JJ and Wang EN contributed to the writing, and editing the manuscript, illustrations, and review of the literature.
Supported by Lanzhou Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project, No. 24-B13; the Youth Project of Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Gansu Province, No. 2024QN015; and the General Project of Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Gansu Province, No. 2024YB049.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: En-Na Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, No. 967 Anning East Road, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu Province, China. enyiena@nwnu.edu.cn
Received: October 25, 2024
Revised: January 16, 2025
Accepted: February 12, 2025
Published online: April 19, 2025
Processing time: 152 Days and 4.4 Hours
Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses significant challenges for families, with limited access to specialized care being a critical concern. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote support, highlighting its potential to enhance family-centered care for children with ASD. In this editorial, we comment on the article by Lu et al, emphasizing the effectiveness of integrating remote support courses with traditional caregiver-mediated interventions. We further explore the benefits of remote support in delivering family-centered care, summarize the essential components of effective family-centered remote support, outline key considerations for implementation, and discuss potential future research directions. We conclude that family-centered remote support has the potential to significantly improve outcomes and quality of life for individuals with ASD and their families.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Remote support; Family-centered care; Parental mental health; Child development

Core Tip: Remote support can enhance autism care through a family-centered approach by providing increased accessibility, reducing caregiver stress, and fostering collaboration between families and healthcare providers. To achieve these benefits, family-centered remote support should incorporate key components: Technology utilization, effective collaboration, tailored support services, peer support networks, and feedback mechanisms. Implementing such support requires careful consideration of technology access, professional training, assessment tools, data security, and cultural sensitivity. This approach has the potential to significantly improve outcomes and enhance the quality of life for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers.