The Use of Video Modeling to Teach Daily Living Skills and Promote Independence in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review
By Veronica Zeppa Pacheco
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have challenges learning daily living skills (DLS). This difficulty can cause a lack of autonomy and reduce their opportunities to be active members of their communities. Teachers play a crucial role in students’ development skills, and based on their observations, they can determine children’s abilities to perform basic daily activities. Educators can collaboratively work with parents to expose children to effective methods that enable them to acquire essential skills to increase their independence and quality of life. One way that educators can teach kids with disabilities DLS is through video modeling (VM). VM is an evidence-based practice used to teach skills to individuals with disabilities. This paper will examine the effectiveness of VM in teaching DLS and promoting independence in students with ASD while reviewing seven research articles obtained from Google Scholar.
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have challenges learning daily living skills (DLS). This difficulty can cause a lack of autonomy and reduce their opportunities to be active members of their communities. Teachers play a crucial role in students’ development skills, and based on their observations, they can determine children’s abilities to perform basic daily activities. Educators can collaboratively work with parents to expose children to effective methods that enable them to acquire essential skills to increase their independence and quality of life. One way that educators can teach kids with disabilities DLS is through video modeling (VM). VM is an evidence-based practice used to teach skills to individuals with disabilities. This paper will examine the effectiveness of VM in teaching DLS and promoting independence in students with ASD while reviewing seven research articles obtained from Google Scholar.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, daily living skills, independence, video modeling.
The Use of Video Modeling to Teach Daily Living Skills and Promote Independence in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face many challenges due to their condition and have difficulties acquiring knowledge. They also struggle to perform essential daily routines and achieve independence during and after school age, employment, and social interactions (Wertalik & Kubina, 2018). Parents and caregivers of individuals with ASD have concerns about how to increase the acquisition of autonomy of their children in the area of daily living skills (DLS). Researchers have found that people with ASD have difficulties learning DLS due to their lack of cognitive abilities which makes them depend on others to initiate and complete activities (Wynkoop et al., 2017; Wertalik & Kubina, 2018; Dogan, 2023).
For individuals with ASD, developing independence is crucial because it can determine their independence during adulthood and successful inclusion in different settings such as school, community, vocational, and job opportunities (Thomas et al., 2020). Functional independence is an individual’s ability to complete a task without support or guidance from others (Thomas et al., 2020). Research indicates that when individuals with ASD are exposed to structured vocational and living skills activities, they can become less dependent on those around them (Campbell et al., 2015; Tobey, 2017).
Daily Living Skills
Daily living skills (DLS) are tasks that allow people to live independently and participate in their community with a high quality of life. Individuals with ASD face many obstacles, and some of them are initiating and completing activities such as DLS and generalization of competencies. Researchers have found that people with ASD encounter difficulties learning DLS, which can limit their participation in social settings (Wynkoop et al., 2017; Wertalik & Kubina, 2018; Dogan, 2023). Due to this situation, individuals with ASD may have limited residential and career placement opportunities in their adulthood (Campbell et al., 2015), and the majority of them will live with their families due to their deficit of independence (Spriggs et al., 2015; Dogan, 2023).
DLS are essential activities that should be taught to students with ASD during formative school years to increase their autonomy and create opportunities to function by themselves at home and in different settings of their community (Dogan, 2023). This can positively impact their lives because it can help them build self-confidence and become as independent as possible.
Video Modeling
Video modeling (VM) is a teaching method that involves people watching a video of individuals demonstrating the necessary steps required to perform or carry out an activity that teaches specific skills (Campbell et al., 2015; Meister & Salls, 2015; Aldi et al., 2016). VM is an evidence-based practice that may provide quick skills acquisition among students with ASD, helping them learn and improve the performance of DLS (Aldi et al., 2016; Wertalik & Kubina, 2018; Wynkoop et al., 2018) and generalization of those skills in different settings (Spriggs et al., 2015; Dogan, 2023). Furthermore, VM can increase individuals’ attention and interest in completing target activities, especially in children with ASD because they enjoy watching videos and engaging with technology, which makes them feel more motivated to copy behaviors because they perceive them as fun and desirable activities (Meister & Salls, 2015).
Using Video Modeling to Teach Daily Living Skills and Promote Independence in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Dogan (2023) conducted a study involving one adolescent with ASD who had DLS deficits. The study investigated the effectiveness of using video modeling displayed on a table PC to teach DLS (preparing instant soup, setting the table, and placing dirty dishes in the dishwasher). The intervention consisted of asking the student to watch a video for 5 minutes and then performing the task in the kitchen. The student was provided with waiting time and verbal reinforcement during the sessions. The results of the study indicated that using VM was not only an effective method for teaching three different target DLS, but also promoted the generalization of the skills across different settings, people, and equipment. Maintenance data showed that nine and eighteen days after the master criteria were met, the student maintained all the skills learned.
In a similar study, Campbell et al. (2015) evaluated the possibility that students with ASD and other disabilities could learn the skill of hand washing using VM on a portable handheld device. Three students with ASD took part in the study. The sessions were conducted once a week for four weeks. Videos were presented using an MP4 player. Participants watched the video and then performed the activity in the school setting. Verbal prompts were given to the students if they forgot to play the video. Results indicated that none of the students mastered the target skill during the study. However, they showed progress regarding independence after the VM method was introduced. Based on this, the authors considered that VM promotes the acquisition of self-help skills and independence in individuals with ASD.
Meister and Salls (2015) studied eight students with ASD from grades 2nd-8th who received school-based occupational therapy services. Two of them were in a self-contained classroom, while the other six attended part or all of their academic instruction in a general education classroom. The students watched the videos and then attempted to perform the activity themselves. If they made mistakes, the instructor stopped the students and had them watch the video again to check the proper method of conducting the task. At the end of the study, students showed an average of 50.5% improvement in task performance. Aldi et al. (2016) studied two male adolescents with ASD who needed to improve DLS to become independent; each participant learned different tasks. The intervention involved participants watching a video, followed by completing a task. If participants provided no responses or incorrect replay, they were required to review the segment of the video that demonstrated the correct way to complete the step. The results of these two studies that investigated the efficacy of using point-of-view video modeling to teach DLS to students with ASD indicated that VM was an effective approach for teaching these individuals because it provided repeated exposure to the videos and increased their opportunities to learn and master new skills, experience success, reduce dependency, and elevate their quality of life. Moreover, some other factors that contributed to the success of these studies included strategies such as verbal encouragement, verbal descriptions in the videos, and prompts to reinforce the desired behavior.
Wynkoop et al. (2018) examined the effects of continuous video modeling (CVM) with prompting and reinforcement (P&R), VM with prompting and reinforcement (P&R), and prompting and reinforcement (P&R) to teach living skills. Some of the living skills taught in the study were taking out the trash, wiping the microwave, getting water, rolling silverware, folding T-shirts, and folding and storing socks. The study was conducted with four high school students with ASD or intellectual disabilities (ID). The findings of this study are relatively consistent with other literature that demonstrated the effectiveness of using VM to teach DLS to students with ASD. The results showed that students increased their independence, leading to positive outcomes at the end of the investigation. Although some students responded better to VM and others found success with CVM or P&R, VM was an effective teaching method that enhanced students and promoted their autonomy when performing living skills. Furthermore, the authors suggested that future studies should investigate the effect of using video models already created with a new group of participants and in different settings.
Thomas et al. (2020) evaluated the efficacy and efficiency of VM and video prompting (VP) in teaching meal preparation and promoting the independence of students with ASD. Four students with individual education plans (IEP) goals focusing on DLS and having no prior history of using VBI participated in this study. Students used an iPad to watch the videos. Results indicate that VM was an effective method for teaching meal preparation because students could generalize and maintain the skill after a 3-week follow-up in the absence of the iPad. However, the authors considered it would be beneficial to keep the device while students were performing the activity after the study was concluded.
Lastly, Wertalik & Kubina (2018) explored the outcomes of Teaching with Acoustical Guidance (TAGteach) and VM when instructing DLS to adolescents with ASD. Three male students with ASD participated in the study. The results indicated that when using TAGteach and VM techniques to teach the target DLS (brushing teeth, washing face, and applying deodorant), students improved their abilities in executing the assigned activities, representing a crucial element for a successful transition into adulthood. However, the authors could not conclude that TAGteach represented an effective technique for teaching DLS.
Conclusion
The literature review explored and investigated the effectiveness of using VM to teach DLS to students with ASD and promote the acquisition of independence. Video modeling is a method that uses videos to instruct skills or behavior. Based on the articles presented, VM is a proven and effective intervention in teaching a range of DLS because participants improved their task performance and increased their levels of autonomy, and quality of life (Wynkoop et al., 2018; Thomas et al., 2020; Wertalik & Kubina, 2018), which can increase their opportunities of being included in post-school settings activities.
Deficits of independence skills can affect students with ASD opportunities to excel in different daily living activities, making them depend on others. The need for these individuals to perform DLS by themselves is crucial to increasing their successful integration into their communities. VM is an evidence-based practice parents, caregivers, and educators can use to minimize barriers and empower students with ASD to achieve the independence needed to be successful in different settings of their lives.
References
Aldi, C., Crigler, A., Kates-McElrath, K., Long, B., Smith, H., Rehak, K., & Wilkinson, L. (2016). Examining the effects of video modeling and prompts to teach activities of daily living skills. Behavior analysis in practice, 9, 384-388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0127-y
Campbell, J. E., Morgan, M., Barnett, V., & Spreat, S. (2015). Handheld devices and video modeling to enhance the learning of self-help skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. OTJR: occupation, Participation and Health, 35(2), 95-100.https://doi.org/10.1177/1539449215570040
Dogan, S. (2023). Teaching daily living skills to an adolescent with autism in a real?life setting. British Journal of Special Education, 50(4), 472-482. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12480
Meister, C., & Salls, J. (2015). Video modeling for teaching daily living skills to children with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 8(4), 307-318. doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2015.1107005
Spriggs, A. D., Knight, V., & Sherrow, L. (2015). Talking picture schedules: Embedding video models into visual activity schedules to increase independence for students with ASD. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 45, 3846-3861. doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2315-3
Thomas, E. M., DeBar, R. M., Vladescu, J. C., & Townsend, D. B. (2020). A comparison of video modeling and video prompting by adolescents with ASD. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13, 40-52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00402-0
Tobey, K. (2017). Independence Starts with Teaching: Implementing Evidence-Based Strategies to Build Self-Advocacy and Independence in Students with Autism. Journal of Educational Leadership in Action, 4(2), 5. https://doi.org/10.62608/2164-1102.1058
Wertalik, J. L., & Kubina, R. M. (2018). Comparison of TAGteach and video modeling to teach daily living skills to adolescents with autism. Journal of Behavioral Education, 27(2), 279-300. doi.org/10.1007/s10864-017-9285-4
Wynkoop, K. S., Robertson, R. E., & Schwartz, R. (2018). The effects of two video modeling interventions on the independent living skills of students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Journal of Special Education Technology, 33(3), 145-158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162643417746149
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