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| Factors Impacting the Effectiveness of Video Modeling in Enhancing Social Skills in Children With Autism |
| Sunday, May 30, 2010 |
| 4:30 PM–5:50 PM |
| 205 (CC) |
| Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Dennis W. Moore (Monash University) |
| Abstract: Deficits in social skills are one of the core features of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and therefore an important goal for remediation. Video modelling is an emerging evidence-based intervention for improving social competencies of children with autism. We report on four studies examining the effectiveness of video modelling and video self-modelling in improving the social functioning of young children with autism. All studies utilised single subject research methodology and the participants were (7) individual pre-school-aged children with autism. The independent variable was a video-modelling intervention targeting specific social skills including play and the dependent variables were direct observational measures of the targeted social skills. Studies vary in the type of setting where the intervention occurs, the specific target behaviours and additional elements used (incorporating prompting, social stories, reinforcement and peers). These studies address the limitations of existing research by describing the intervention in greater detail, and by assessing social validity, intervention fidelity, maintenance, and generalisation. Desired behavior changes were observed in all cases. The findings are discussed in terms of variables that either enhance or limit the effectiveness of video-modelling procedures. |
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| Using Video Modelling to Teach Symbolic Play to a Child With Autism |
| Aarti Arora (Monash University), BRETT FURLONGER (Krongold Centre, Monash University) |
| Abstract: Video modeling is an emerging evidence-based intervention for children with autism. It has been shown to be effective in teaching a variety of skills, including social-communication behaviors, functional living skills, and perspective taking skills. However, evidence supporting the efficacy of video modeling in teaching pretend play behaviors remains limited. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a video modeling intervention to teach pretend play to a child with autism. A single-subject, multiple-baseline across behaviors design was employed to assess the effect of video modeling on the play skills of a pre-school child with autism. Results indicated that the introduction of video modeling led to increases in pretend play behaviours. The effect was maintained over time. Concomitant behavior changes, namely increases in verbal/communicative behavior were also observed. Overall, this study provided preliminary support that video modeling can be an effective and efficient teaching medium well suited to teach pretend play behaviors to children with autism. |
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| Investigating the Use of Video Modelling and Social Stories as Interventions for Children With Autism |
| STACEY LITRAS (Monash University), Dennis W. Moore (Monash University), Angelika Anderson (Krongold Centre, Monash University) |
| Abstract: The present study investigated the effectiveness of combining social stories and video self-modelling (VSM) in teaching social skills to two preschool aged children with autism. Unlike previous combined interventions, the present study aimed to conduct a components analysis, parcelling out the individual contributions of each strategy alone, as well as their combined effect. The participants were two pre-school-aged children with autism. Two modified-multiple-baseline-across-behaviors designs revealed that all three treatments were successful across both participants. In addition successful generalization and maintenance was achieved in both cases. Concomitant behavior changes, namely increased levels of communicative behavior and levels of social engagement were also observed. Between subject analyses suggested the combined intervention was the most effective (resulting in the greatest mean percentage increase) treatment for both participants, and was also associated with the greatest generalization in both cases. Factors potentially confounding the comparative results are discussed. Overall the findings support the effectiveness of Social Stories and VSM and illustrate the potential of combining these intervention techniques for remedying the social deficits of children with autism. |
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| Video Self-Modelling as an Independent Tool to Teach Social Initiations to a Young Child With Autism |
| CAROLINE DE FINA (Monash University), Dennis W. Moore (Monash University) |
| Abstract: Many children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) enjoy watching television and can readily acquire skills through video modelling. Theory suggests that video self-modelling (VSM) in particular is an appropriate tool to teach such children. Recent studies suggest that VSM may be a time- and cost-efficient method of teaching social skills to children with ASD. However, several researchers have reported that additional intervention elements including reinforcement and live modelling were required to effect meaningful change in behavior when using VSM. The current study assesses the effects of technically enhancing VSM by incorporating these components into the video image. The participant was a five-year-old boy with autism. The video clips incorporated video-embedded reinforcement and explicit rules with multiple modelled examples of greetings, invitations, compliments and social question type initiations. A multiple-baseline-across-behaviors design was employed. Results show that technically enhanced VSM increased social initiations and that target behaviors generalized across settings without additional in vivo support. These results indicate that video modelling may be an effective behavior intervention for children with ASD. The findings have positive implications for the development of effective low-cost interventions for families at some distance from service providers in sparsely populated countries like Australia. |
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| Effects of Video Modelling in Teaching Timely Compliance With Instructions |
| RENEE CHONG (Monash University), Dennis W. Moore (Monash University), Umesh Sharma (Monash University) |
| Abstract: Children with autism often have object obsessions which may adversely affect their social life and educational progress. This research was undertaken to investigate whether video-modelling (VM) could reduce the time children with autism spent on their preoccupation with certain objects and to increase alternative activity choices by teaching timely compliance with instructions to change activities. Benchmarking observations of typically developing peers showed average response latencies between 4 and 6 seconds. Participants were three preschool-aged boys with autism. A multiple-baseline-across-participants design was employed. The intervention consisted of video models of timely compliance with requests to change activities both with and without reinforcement. The DV was response latency and concomitant measures of average engaged time in alternative activities were also obtained. Results show that VM in class was most effective, compared to VM at home and reinforcement, in reducing the average response latencies. When participant response latencies had decreased to normative levels, the effect of VM on increasing alternative activity choices was examined. Results showed that all the participants were able to change to one or more alternative activities on request. These results demonstrate that VM can help children with autism terminate engagement with objects of obsession and increase their behavioral flexibility. |
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