Improving Autistic children’s basic social skills by implementing Video-Modeling into their everyday lives and therapies
What is Video-Modeling?
Video-modeling is an intervention that works great for autistic children. These children struggle to develop appropriate social skills for communication. So, improving social skills in children with autism is incredibly important to improve their overall independence and quality of life.
There are various styles of video modeling such as point-of-view video modeling, video self modeling, which are further described by Autism Classroom News and Resources, but basic video modeling will be the focus of discussion. Basic Video-modeling is done by first assessing the child on the social skill(s) they are lacking, then utilizing a short video-recording of a model performing the targeted skill. The autistic child then watches and is instructed to mimic what they saw.
So, if the social skill was greeting an unfamiliar adult, the implementer, whether it be a parent, teacher, occupational therapist or speech therapist, might show a video of another child greeting an adult by shaking their hand and introducing themselves. Then, the autistic child would perform the same scenario. This intervention works well for autistic children because they learn best through using visuals and repetition. Video-modeling allows them to rewatch the video and perform the targeted skill until they master it.
So, if the social skill was greeting an unfamiliar adult, the implementer, whether it be a parent, teacher, occupational therapist or speech therapist, might show a video of another child greeting an adult by shaking their hand and introducing themselves. Then, the autistic child would perform the same scenario. This intervention works well for autistic children because they learn best through using visuals and repetition. Video-modeling allows them to rewatch the video and perform the targeted skill until they master it.
Which Devices to use when Implementing Video-Modeling
Video-modeling can be shown on multiple different devices. What’s great is it was shown to improve social skills both on a television or an iPad. In a study done showing the effectiveness of portable video modeling vs. traditional video modeling, the researchers compared the effects of the intervention on an iPad vs. a television. Results showed the children were able to achieve an average of 90% accuracy for performing their targeted social skills on the iPad and 87% average accuracy on the television. These results indicate that no matter how the material is presented to the child, they are still able to
learn from the videos. These findings suggest that any parent or practitioner working with the child can use whichever device is most easily accessible to them, reducing any costs of implementing the intervention. With the iPad, the parent or practitioner can record their own videos to show the child, further reducing the costs.
How Well does Video-Modeling Work?
When researching using video-modeling as a means for developing the social skills of autistic children, almost all studies resulted in significant improvement for each child’s targeted skill. Some studies addressed basic communication skills such as: greeting unfamiliar adults, asking for opinions, not interrupting, and asking questions. Others looked at play skills such as imaginative play, asking to join in on play, playing card games and even academic participation skills, proving that the intervention works to develop upon a wide variety of skills, and not just basic social skills.
3 Strategies for Implementing Video-Modeling:
- Determine social skill(s) lacking in the child:
- When video modeling was used in research studies, researchers assessed the children’s social skills before hand and asked parents what their child tends to struggle with in order to determine what social skills they wanted to assess further for the research study. As a therapist, observe any lacking social skills noticed in the child that are the most important to develop. It is also important to ask the parents to get a baseline on what social skills are lacking. As a parent, determine the most prevalent social skill(s) noted to be lacking in the child’s everyday life. Make a list of the social skill(s) that are lacking.
- Create short, and effective video clips:
- Keeping the child’s attention is important, so keeping the video short, sweet and to the point is going to be the most effective way to drive the information into their brain. It is important to make sure the video is demonstrating the social skill appropriately, and that the child can follow along the video. These videos can be created with any portable device or on camera where the video can then be projected onto a television.
- Designate time for working on the targeted skill:
- The most important part of this intervention is staying consistent. Most studies continued video-modeling for 8 weeks, so finding time and being persistent to work on the skills is the only way the child will improve. Parents and practitioners can work together and utilize the same videos to encourage the most time spent working on targeted skills.
Learning to Educate oneself on Autism and Social Skills
Working with autistic clients and parenting autistic children requires the parent or practitioner to be educated and continue learning about the disorder to best help the child. Video-Modeling is very under-rated, so that is why it is important to research and find practical interventions such as video-modeling to encourage better social skills for these children. To continue educating oneself on autism and increasing the child’s communication skills, finding online articles or podcasts on this topic is important. Dr. Mary Barbera has a podcast called, Turn Autism Around, where she uses her knowledge as an applied behavioral analyst to provide information to parents and practitioners working with autistic children. She has numerous podcasts about different ways to improve social skills and language development for this population, so it is a great podcast to listen to during freetime. As with anything, practice makes perfect, so be sure to consistently practice video-modeling with the child and educate oneself more on the disorder to get the best results for improving the child’ssocial skills.
About the Author:
Hannah McKinnon
Westfield State University Movement Science Major
References
Miltenberger, C., Charlop, M. (2015). The Comparative Effectiveness of Portable Video Modeling vs. Traditional Video Modeling Interventions with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of Development Physical Disability, 27, 341-358.
Liu, Y., Moore, D., Anderson, A. (2015). Improving Social Skills in a Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Self-Management Training. Behavior Change, 32(4),273-284.
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