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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between tasks that require delayed discriminations such as delayed imitation and delayed matching to sample on acquisition of skills using video modeling. Twenty-nine participants with an ASD diagnosis were assessed on a battery of tasks including both immediate and delayed imitation and matching to sample tasks. All of the tasks were positively correlated with learning via video modeling. The most significant correlations were between delayed imitation of actions with objects and video modeling performance, as well as delayed matching accuracy and video modeling performance. Participants who performed well on subtest items that required performance after a delay showed mastery on the video modeling subtests. These findings suggest a simple method for educators to predict whether video modeling will be an effective teaching procedure for a specific child.
KEY WORDS: autism, imitation, matching to sample, video modeling
Video modeling (VM) has been shown to be effective for teaching a variety of skills to children with autism, including daily living skills (Rehfeldt, Dahman, Young, Cherry, & Davis, 2003; Shipley-Benamou, Lutzker, & Taubman, 2002;), communication (Charlop-Christy, Le, & Freeman, 2000; Charlop & Milstein, 1989; Sherer et ak, 2001; Tetreault & Lerman, 2010), perspective taking (LeBlanc et al., 2003) and vocational skills (Allen, Wallace, Renes, Bowen, & Burke, 2010). VM has also been used to teach both solitary and cooperative pretend play skills (MacDonald, Clark, Garrigan, & Vangala, 2005, MacDonald, Sacramone, Mansfield, Wiltz, & Ahearn, 2009; Dupere, MacDonald, & Ahearn, 2013). Video modeling typically involves presenting a video recording of models engaged in a specific series of scripted actions and/or vocalizations. After multiple viewings the child is then directed to engage in the scripted behaviors. A number of procedural variations of VM have been documented in the literature (LeBlanc, 2010), such as characteristics of the model (e.g., self, peer, or adult) (McCoy & Hermansen, 2007) and point of view of the model (Tetreault & Lerman, 2010). Some researchers have found that prompting and reinforcement are not necessary for learning through VM (Charlop-Christy et al., 2000; D'Ateno, Mangiapanello, & Taylor, 2003; MacDonald et ak, 2005). However, others have found that prompting can improve rates of learning (Murzynski & Bourret, 2007).
Although VM is an effective and efficient instructional...