An Assessment of Response to Conversation Cues of Uninterest Conducted via Telehealth.
A five-minute Zoom cue ladder spots kids who miss 'I'm not interested' signals and lets you teach them right on the call.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mello et al. (2023) ran a short test over Zoom. They looked at how kids with autism react when a partner shows no interest in talking.
The team used a quick ladder of cues. It started with one-word answers and ended with clear 'I don't want to talk' lines.
If a child missed the cues, the trainer added a short BST lesson right on the call.
What they found
Most kids picked up on the uninterest cues during the first round. One child needed the added BST, then passed the test.
The whole check took minutes and worked without anyone leaving home.
How this fits with other research
Boydston et al. (2023) and Zohrabi et al. (2025) show telehealth can train parents and teach self-care. Catherine adds a new piece: you can also assess social cue reading remotely.
Chovet Santa Cruz et al. (2024) and DeFriedman et al. (2025) prove remote BST teaches safety and car-seat skills just as well as in-person. Catherine uses the same remote BST trick, but for conversation cues in autism.
Morris et al. (2023) shorten in-lab sociability tests with clever metrics. Catherine shortens things too, by moving the whole check to a screen.
Why it matters
You no longer need a clinic room to see if a client notices 'I'm bored' signals. Run the five-minute cue ladder at the start of a telehealth intake. Spot learners who need social-curriculum goals, then teach on the same call if needed. It saves travel time, keeps rural families engaged, and gives you a clear, scripted probe you can repeat each quarter.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit deficits in social interaction and communication. Kronfli, Vollmer, et al. developed an in-person assessment to evaluate participant response to social cues indicating uninterest in a conversation. In the current study, we sought to extend these procedures to the assessment of conversation skills via telehealth given the ongoing pandemic and so that participants in remote areas could receive services. Participants were exposed to a hierarchy of social cues of uninterest ranging in salience from one-word responses to a clear verbal statement of uninterest until they demonstrated sensitivity to a social cue. One participant who did not demonstrate sensitivity to any cues received instruction using Behavioral Skills Training. Initial results support the utility of using a remote assessment model to screen for sensitivity to specific social cues in conversations and to provide services to participants via telehealth.
Behavior modification, 2023 · doi:10.1177/01454455221142025