ECHO Autism Washington: Autism Diagnostic Evaluations in Primary Care.

ECHO (Extensions for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Autism is a telementoring learning model to increase community capacity for autism-related health care. Seventy-seven pediatric providers (mostly primary care, seeing exclusively Medicaid patient populations) enrolled in 1 year of ECHO Autism Washington. Analysis of self-report surveys showed a significant increase in autism diagnoses made by ECHO providers after 1 year, F(1, 65) = 7.52, P = .008. Providers who attended more sessions reported making more diagnoses, F(2, 613.26), P = .045. Of note, autism diagnoses were not externally validated. The total number of reported barriers reduced, F(2, 61) = 13.5), P < .001, and confidence ratings increased F(2, 60) = 24.21, P < .001. The average number of diagnostic referrals from ECHO providers to the state's largest autism specialty clinic significantly reduced, t(43) = 4.23, P < .001, with significantly fewer diagnostic referrals made during and after ECHO training compared with a comparison group of 28 non-ECHO providers, t(58.77) = -3.36, P < .001. Overall, 1 year of ECHO Autism Washington participation led to significant changes in autism diagnostic practices.

Snack Talk: Effects of a Naturalistic Visual Communication Support on Increasing Conversation Engagement for Adults with Disabilities.

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities frequently experience poor life outcomes, with individuals reporting lower levels of social support, relationships, gainful employment, and satisfaction in their quality of life. To ameliorate these outcomes, social skills and social communication interventions aligned with the needs of adults are warranted. This study examined the efficacy of Snack Talk, a supplemental naturalistic visual communication support, with five adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Snack Talk was implemented during the midday mealtime, with the goal of increasing conversation engagement. A withdrawal design across participants was used. Results demonstrated increases in conversation engagement and showed meaningful gains for participants in the intervention and postintervention phase compared to baseline.