Poster ID: #98291
Abstract
Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience barriers to completing routine health screenings. This pilot evaluated a multicomponent, behavior-analytic package to improve screening compliance among adults with ASD in outpatient services. The intervention combined (a) online behavior skills training for staff to implement graduated desensitization and reinforcement, (b) visual schedules to clarify steps, and (c) hospital previsit exposure to relevant stimuli and settings. Participants were three nonverbal autistic adults who exhibited self- or other-injurious behavior. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used. Primary outcomes were percentage of screening steps completed independently and frequency of prompts; secondary outcomes included problem behavior counts and staff procedural integrity. Results showed higher independent step completion (20–30% at baseline to 70–80% during intervention/maintenance), fewer prompts (14–17 to 6–9 per session), and lower problem behavior (2–4 to 0–2 per session). Findings suggest that a brief, scalable package can improve healthcare access behaviors for adults with ASD and may support generalization to other medical procedures.
APA 7th Edition