Although the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has created and presented many challenges for individuals locally and globally, one positive that has come out of this is the increasing popularity and acceptance of telehealth.
Telehealth, or telemedicine, is a mechanism by which healthcare providers can reach their patients through the use of technology similar to Facetime or Zoom. Telemedicine shot to the top of many preference sheets as it offered individuals to receive healthcare while staying safe and taking adequate social distancing measures. When discussing the healthcare of individuals with Fragile-X Syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders, there are many obstacles that negatively impact their healthcare. These obstacles include access to healthcare, cost of care, and the shortage of qualified providers. Telemedicine provides solutions to these obstacles and hence has been seen as the popular adaptation by healthcare providers. Researchers at Stanford University evaluated the treatment of disruptive behaviors in fragile X using telehealth — the use of communication technology, such as phones and computers, to facilitate healthcare appointments. A clinical study suggests an approach called functional communication training (FCT) delivered via telemedicine could ease irritability in boys with the disorder and lowered parenting stress in their caregivers. Looking towards the future, telemedicine has the potential to provide many more benefits than simply allowing for appropriate social distancing. Advancements that combine healthcare and technology provide benefits to the Fragile-X and Autism community that helps improve the level of deliverable healthcare.