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This study used a single-subject design to determine the effectiveness of the Cool versus Not Cool (CNC) discrimination procedure to teach social skills to three young adults with autism. The CNC procedure was administered remotely during this study. The specific social skills targeted were asking open-ended questions and responding appropriately to a conversation partner’s answers. All participants significantly increased the accuracy of the targeted social skills after receiving the intervention. The skills also maintained at relatively high levels once the intervention was removed. Future research and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience co-occurring physical and mental health challenges throughout their lives. At the same time, they frequently face many barriers to accessing proper care. Strategies to improve communication and understanding can help to mitigate some of these barriers. This study examined the effects of an instructional package, including a video module accompanied by guided notes, the Autism Healthcare Accommodations Tool (AHAT), and behavior skills training (BST) to teach adults with autism to communicate their unique needs and request accommodations to a medical provider. Three participants independently completed a self-guided video module that modeled how to complete the guided notes and AHAT to identify appropriate accommodations and prepare for a doctor's appointment. Once finished, participants were taught to verbalize their needs and accommodations through BST. Results showed that participants' communication skills increased after introducing the instructional package, generalized to a novel provider and maintained once the instructional package was removed. This intervention proved to be an effective and socially valid method to improve communication for adults with autism in medical settings. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing Interests The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Mr. R, a 27 year old Hispanic male with history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over ten years prior but no psychiatric history, presents to the psychiatric consultation service with recent onset of mutism, psychotic behavior and new diagnosis of epilepsy. The differential diagnosis is broad and includes both medical and psychiatric causes: post-ictal state, non-convulsive status epilepticus, delirium due to metabolic conditions, drugs, catatonia, conversion disorder, major depression with psychotic features, new onset schizophrenia or a combination of these possible diagnoses. We explore different medical causes that can present with symptoms of catatonia, as it is crucial to rule out a possible treatable medical cause.