In this study, a paraprofessional delivered video modeling intervention to teach soft skills was evaluated using a multiple probe across behaviors design. Three soft skills were targeted that were required for successful future employment of high school students with disabilities. The three dependent variables consisted of sending a work related email, leaving a voice message, and creating work related calendar entry. Five paraprofessionals and four high school students with disabilities participated in this study. We evaluated the degree to which the intervention was successful, the degree of procedural fidelity by the paraprofessionals, and the social validity of the study. The results supported the intervention. All four students showed improvements in their soft skills. A functional relation was established for two out of four student participants. The paraprofessionals maintained a high level of procedural fidelity. Paraprofessional and student participants reported high level of satisfaction with the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the study. Maintenance data collected demonstrated that participants maintained their skills following the conclusion of the video modeling intervention. There were limitations related to the implementation of the research design, partially due to constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic. / Special Education

BACKGROUND: Social skills deficits may hinder learning, terminate relationships, and impede employment. Many individuals with autism and intellectual disability experience difficulties in social judgement, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships, all of which can lead to disruptive and aggressive behaviors. Explicit instruction, video modeling, and video feedback are research-based practices that have been used to teach conversation skills to individuals with developmental disabilities and social impairments. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of explicit instruction combined with video modeling and video feedback in teaching conversation-initiation skills to six adults ages 18-20 with autism and intellectual disability in a post-high school transition program. METHODS: A multiple baseline across dyads design was used, with number of correct initiation responses as the independent variable. The independent variable was an intervention package including explicit verbal instruction with interspersed video modeling clips, followed by video feedback. RESULTS: All six participants acquired the skills and were able to initiate a conversation; five of them maintained these skills over time, demonstrating them without the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Data supported a evidence functional relation between the intervention package and the participants' social initiation skills. Social validity responses indicated that participants enjoyed watching the videos of models and especially enjoyed watching the videos of themselves.

Video modeling interventions have been mostly effective for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in teaching social communication skills. However, differences in the effectiveness of these interventions have been noted. Participant motivation was suggested as one of the factors that can influence the effectiveness of video modeling. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of participant motivation on video modeling for teaching social communication skills to individuals with ASD. A combined multiple probe across participants and adapted alternating treatments design was used to examine the differential effects of two video modeling conditions (i.e., motivated and non-motivated) on social communication skills of four adults with ASD. Of the four participants, three participants responded to the intervention and performed more of target behavior during the motivated video modeling condition than the non-motivated video modeling condition, while one did not respond to the intervention. In addition, the three participants engaged in a higher percentage of the target behavior during motivated generalization sessions than non-motivated generalization sessions. The results demonstrated that participant motivation influenced the effectiveness of video modeling.

A plethora of research exists suggesting video-based interventions such as video modeling (VM) and video prompting (VP) assist students with severe/profound disabilities, such as autism and intellectual disabilities, to learn academic skills. This study used a single subject multiple-baseline-across-subjects design to evaluate if a VP intervention on a functional, academic math skill had similar effects for adolescent students with mild/moderate specific learning disabilities (SLD). Five high school students (three female and two male) aged 16-17 viewed the video on an iPad to find out about how much money an item would cost if it were a certain percentage on sale. A functional relationship between the intervention and acquisition of the steps necessary to complete the task was discovered. In addition, some students maintained the skills as demonstrated by correctly answering most given word problems when given a post-test. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.

This purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention package that combined Skillstreaming procedures for the development of social skills with the use of video modeling for middle school students identified with ASD. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to determine if the video modeling intervention package has an impact on social skill performance of three middle school-aged students with ASD. A multiple probe design across participants was employed to assess the effects of the video modeling intervention package on two beginning social skills (i.e., initiate greetings and initiate a conversation). The participants were three middle school-aged students with ASD enrolled in a self-contained classroom. The dependent variable was the percentage of correct social skills components performed when greeting the teacher and initiating a conversation within in the first 10 minutes of class each morning. The independent variable was an intervention package that included video modeling and direct instruction for each social skill component with Skillstreaming procedures (i.e., modeling, role playing, feedback). The results of this research indicated that all three students improved their social skills performance following the implementation of the video modeling intervention package. Furthermore, during the maintenance phase, the social skills performance of each student was maintained. Recommendations for further study and for teachers of students with ASD are presented.

Given the behavioral expectations of students by teachers and peers in middle school inclusive classrooms and characteristics inherent to students with ASD, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of video modeling and peer mentoring of five critical social skills for inclusion on middle school students with ASD. Specifically, the extent to which the combination of video modeling and peer mentoring of five critical social skills would increase the level of demonstration of these skills in the general education inclusion setting was investigated. Because individuals with ASD exhibit limited social communication skills, those skills necessary especially at the middle school level to understand the "hidden curriculum", social skills instruction has been deemed important (APA, 2004; Smith-Myles & Simpson). The current multiple baseline across subjects study was grounded in the research on video modeling (Bellini & Akullian, 2007) and peer mentoring (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2005; Maheady, Harper, & Mallette, 2001) as methods of providing social skills instruction for middle school students with ASD (Goldstein & McGinnis, 1997; Smith-Myles & Simpson, 2001). The impact of the video models and peer mentors was measured using the level of demonstration of five critical social skills on three middle school aged students with ASD. All three students with ASD were included in at least one general education classroom. The results of this investigation indicated that the combination of video modeling and peer mentoring of critical social skills positively impacted the levels of demonstration of the skills of students with ASD. While results varied, all three students with ASD increased their levels of demonstration of the targeted critical social skills.

Given current legislation to ensure education for students with disabilities and that institutions of higher education are required to use universal design for learning (UDL) principles, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of video modeling on preservice teachers' knowledge, understanding and application of the three principles of UDL. Preservice teachers were randomly assigned to control or experimental groups to determine if video embedded with UDL principles impacted their thinking. Specifically, pre and posttest information of knowledge and understanding as well as self-perceived ability to teach students with disabilities using UDL was analyzed. In addition preservice teacher created lesson plans were analyzed for application of UDL principles after viewing the video intervention. Quantitative analyses were conducted to compare pre and posttest scores of the control group (n = 41) and experimental group (n =45). The quantitative analyses of knowledge, understanding

The ability to read aloud fluently is a reflection of one's ability to automatically decode words and comprehend text at the same time (Samuels, 2006), a task which may be difficult for many intermediate elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) (Ferrara, 2005). Previous research shows that audio-assisted repeated readings and goal-setting with feedback are effective methods of improving oral reading fluency (ORF) (Chard, Vaughn, & Tyler, 2002; Morgan & Sideridis, 2006; Therrien, 2004) but implementing these interventions may be time-consuming for teachers and tedious for students. The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of including repeated reading interventions within a problem-solving framework of services for individual intermediate students with LD. Specifically, this study investigated whether a videotaped delivery method of a repeated reading intervention improved ORF at the same rate as a one-on-one delivery method for four fifth-grade students with LD. Using an ABCBC alternating-phases design, the single-subject study began with a short baseline followed by two treatment phases. Phase B utilized one-on-one repeated reading interventions delivered by an experienced teacher. Phase C utilized a pre-recorded videotaped version of the same teacher following the same procedures. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to determine the preferred learning method for each participant. The results of this research reinforced the use of repeated reading interventions for individual intermediate elementary students with LD. All four participants met or exceeded the goal of 25% improvement in reading rates. Results also suggest value in devoting time to the preparation of prerecorded videotaped ORF interventions in order to meet the needs of some struggling learners. Consideration of individual learner characteristics was discussed, as well as consideration of time constraints faced by both general and special educators.

People with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulties understanding or applying skills related to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). An individual having a better understanding of SEL concepts is generally associated with more fulfilling connections with others and increased satisfaction in life. Since people with ASD tend to have greater success with learning in structured environments, we created a module to teach these skills using Nearpod. These modules were created with videos of a person embodying a cartoon dog face using Animoji for two reasons; because the animation was meant to appeal to children, and the creation was user-friendly enough for teachers to potentially create or replicate this model. Along with these videos, the modules also included multiple choice questions about content from the lessons and about scenarios portraying different emotions. Participants came to a research lab where they completed the modules at a computer while being supervised by researchers. Looking at the results from the intervention there was little to no trend between baseline and intervention sessions across four participants. While Nearpod is a tool that could be useful for parents or teachers to create and present video modeling lessons, participants had difficulty navigating the modules without support from the researchers due to length of the modules, getting easily distracted and difficulty with using the technology. Some directions for future research may include delivering similar content using animated avatars through shorter, more child-friendly delivery methods.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the efficacy of animated video modeling (VM) in promoting acquisition of joint attention and social engagement skills for children with social skills difficulty. The study also sought to evaluate whether acquired skills generalized outside of the research setting. 6 children, ages ranging from 7 – 11 years, participated in the study, which was conducted at 2 different behavioral health clinics in Midwestern Nebraska. Participants were required to meet pre-requisite skills prior to being included in the study. Overall, results of the study found rapid acquisition of both target skills for the majority of the participants. Acquired skills were also demonstrated beyond the treatment setting and person. Further, caregivers reported animated VM was an acceptable treatment approach that was likely to make improvements for their children, reasonable, and could be willingly carried out with minimal concern for time, cost, or undesirable effects. Findings have several important implications regarding the use of animated VM as another type of VM intervention. Limitations and recommendations for future research are presented.