Video Modeling As An Effective Intervention Strategy for Instructing Students with ASD

Introduction

According to the U.S. Department of Education, autism is defined as a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interactions and verbal and nonverbal communication. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may also display attention deficits, engage in repetitive behaviors, resist environmental changes, have unusual sensory experiences, and may exhibit inappropriate behaviors that have adverse impacts on educational performance (Delano, 2007). The incidence of children identified with ASD has steadily increased and has thus changed the dynamics of education. Due to the number of children diagnosed with autism dramatically increasing over the last fifteen years, the demand for research-based practices required to educate this population of individuals is also increasing and has now become part of our law. Limited evidence-based interventions have created a strain and a sense of urgency for educators and professionals providing programming and therapeutic services to children with ASD. Recent efficacy research on video modeling as an instructional approach for individuals with disabilities has been found to be a promising intervention for teachers, which has implications for its use with students with autism in the classroom setting (Banda, Matuszny, and Turkan, 2007). The research question addressed in this study is: How effective are video modeling interventions in improving the behaviors of individuals with autism during large group instructional times?

Statement of the Problem

The origin of video modeling is thought to have theoretical roots in the social learning theory of Albert Bandura in the early 1970’s (Bellini & Akullian, 2007). Through his research, Bandura was able to pro...

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