Video-Based Instruction (VBI) is an evidence-based practice that has been used for teaching new skills to individuals with disabilities for over two decades. VBI involves the use of pre-recorded videos to teach new skills. Benefits of VBI include flexibility in when the instruction is provided to students and allows students to receive instruction while the teacher is working with another person. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of the independent variable of VBI, upon the dependent variables of (a) the percentage of steps completed correctly to make novel calendar entries; (b) the timeliness of arriving for scheduled meetings; and (c) timeliness of completing the scheduled tasks (sending text messages). Three female students aged 25 to 31 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) living at a residential transition program for adults with ASD and Learning Disabilities participated in the study. One of three participants met criteria (80% accuracy) to correctly make novel calendar entries. Two of the three participants needed an additional prompt to meet criteria (80% accuracy) to correctly make novel calendar entries. One of three participants increased and maintained timeliness for arriving for scheduled meetings. Each participant improved the timeliness of completing the scheduled tasks (sending text messages). This study supports the effectiveness of VBI for the instruction of daily living skills to individuals with ASD. Implications for practitioners, limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Writing is essential to human interaction. When handwriting is illegible, communication may be negatively impacted. A severe deficit in handwriting is known as dysgraphia, a problem frequently associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Video self-modeling (VSM) has been proven effective for children with ASD in the strengthening of social skills, verbalizations, and daily living skills. However, there remains a significant gap in the literature regarding the use of VSM for the treatment of dysgraphia in children with ASD. Because VSM has demonstrated success in the acquisition of many types of skills, it may prove similarly effective for remediating dysgraphia in children with ASD. Utilizing a behavioral perspective, this study seeks to determine if VSM is an effective treatment for improving handwriting legibility and proficiency. This study analyzes secondary data collected by a day treatment center (DTC) specializing in the care of children with ASD. Data indicated that after establishing a baseline level of behavior for writing simple words, the DTC staff administered the VSM treatment and rated the legibility of the participants' responses based on the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III) Handwriting Legibility Scale. Raw score differences between baseline and treatment phases were recorded and analyzed. A pretest/ posttest evaluation based on scores obtained from the Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ) and Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire for Children (HPSQ-C) determined changes in handwriting proficiency. Effectively analyzing this data would be an important contribution to the existing literature, and would enhance social change initiatives through strengthening the communication skills of individuals with ASD.

Symptoms of mental illness such as anxiety and depression diminish functioning, cause distress, and create an economic burden to individuals and society. This meta-analysis was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of video based interventions (VBIs) for the treatment of adults in mental health settings. VBIs comprise four different ways of using video in mental health therapy, including video modeling, video exposure, video feedback, and videos used for psychoeducation. Bandura's social learning theory, Beck's cognitive theory, and Dowrick's theory of feedforward learning form the theoretical framework for understanding how VBIs work. The research questions were: (a) what is the range of effect sizes for VBI in mental health treatment of adults? (b) what is the mean standardized effect size for VBI in this context? and (c) what categorical variables, such as type of mental health issue or specific VBI application, moderate the effect of VBI? A comprehensive literature search strategy and coding plan for between-group studies was developed; the overall effect size for the 60 included studies equaled 0.34. A meta-regression was conducted; although the results were not significant, it is possible that type of VBI may be a moderator. Subgroup analyses by mental health outcome found the largest effect size, 0.48, for caregiving attitude and the smallest effect size, 0.21, for depression. Although the results of this meta-analysis were mixed, this study provides preliminary support for VBI use with adults as an evidence-based treatment. VBIs can contribute to positive social change by improving mental health treatment for the benefit of individuals, families, and society.

Video modeling (VM) is a video-based intervention (VBI) that has been implemented with individuals with disabilities to teach various life and educational skills. It is a tool that allows learners to watch a target skill modeled on a pre-recorded video. The learner is able to re-watch a new skill as many times as needed, and the teacher is given the flexibility needed to work with multiple students while providing individualized instruction. The participant in this study was a 13-year-old male with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and intellectual disability (ID). The participant was enrolled in a life skills class at his junior high school and received special education services under the classification of TBI. This study used a delayed multiple-baseline, across-skills design to examine increased consistency for completing different sports skills in physical education (PE), including a basketball chest pass, football forward pass, and soccer inside foot pass. VM was used successfully to increase task completion rates for all three sports skills. The participant was able to perform the basketball chess pass with 75% to 87.5% accuracy, and the football forward pass and soccer pass with 87.5% accuracy. Prior to the study he could only complete each skill with less than 25% accuracy. Future research is needed on larger samples to empirically demonstrate the efficacy of VM to improve PE skills for special needs students.