Increasing Recreational Initiations for Children Who Have ASD Using Video Self Modeling

The current study examined the effects of video self modeling (VSM) on social initiations using a multiple baseline across participants experimental design. Three students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) watched videos of themselves engaged in typical, age appropriate social initiations prior to playtime with a triad of peers. A partial interval recording system was used to measure social initiations of students with ASD and typically developing peers. The percentage of intervals during which students with ASD exhibited play initiations increased to levels comparable to typically developing peers for all three participants. Two students with ASD demonstrated elevated levels of initiations during a maintenance probe conducted two weeks post-intervention. The efficiency of using VSM within a social skills curriculum, limitations of the current study, and future directions for VSM are discussed.