Exploring the Clinical Utility of a Stimulus Avoidance Assessment to Enhance a Relaxation Training Model.

The current case study explored the clinical utility of a stimulus avoidance assessment during relaxation training with an adult with an autism spectrum disorder. A multiple stimulus without replacement procedure was implemented with aversive events to identify an aversive situation hierarchy. Aversive events were then systematically presented during the analogue phase of relaxation training across low, medium, and highly aversive events. Results support a clinical utility of using stimulus assessments to inform relaxation training, while suggesting further modifications to relaxation training protocols for generalization of skills.