Melissa J. Armstrong
Professional Article Summary
Articles
Reference: Kimball, J. w., Kinney, E. M., Taylor, B. A., & Stromer, R. (2004). Video
Enhanced Activity Schedules for Children with Autism: A Promising Package for
Teaching Social Skills. Education & Treatment Of Children, 27(3), 280-298.
What this study was about:
This article explored the idea of combining an activity schedule and video modeling into an
enhanced version of an activity schedule. The authors reviewed the rational and research for
the use of basic activity schedules with students who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorders as well as reviewed the research for textual clues, auditory modeling, and video
modeling. The process for creating a video-enhanced schedule was explained including an
overview of the materials needs and the creation process using PowerPoint ®. A single student
example was used to further explain the implementation process. The schedule included 3
different activities, using a picture of the activity, followed by a video model of a familiar peer,
and then a cue-to-play screen. In the video model the peer would use the phrase “Let’s play”.
The student studied attended a partial-day preschool program for students with Autism. He
typically used the video-enhanced schedule once during the day. As a result the student was
able to approach a classmate and use the phrase “Let’s Play” to initiate an interaction with the
peer on the current activity presented in his schedule. The authors noted that this case was a
limited example and more research is needed.
Why this is Relevant to my Study:
This article explores combining three of the practices proven to aid people who are diagnosed
with Autism Spectrum Disorders. These include Video Modeling, Visual Supports, and
Technology-Aided Instruction and Intervention. The descriptions given of the process for
developing a video-enhanced activity schedule gave a good overview without giving detailed
steps. Unfortunately the authors only used a single case example, without any quantitative
data. The authors comment that we still don’t know if Video-Enhanced Activity Schedules are
efficient or effective. This article was foundation for my action research plan, as I am going
focus on whether using a portable electronic activity schedule will increase the level
appropriate behavior as each student transitions to different activities within the classroom.
Reference: Stromer, R., Kimball, J. W., Kinney, E. M., & Taylor, B. A. (2006). Activity
Schedules, Computer Technology, and Teaching Children With Autism Spectrum
Disorders. Focus On Autism & Other Developmental Disabilities, 21(1), 14-24.
What this study was about:
This article reviewed current, at the time, studies and articles specifically related to activity
schedules and computers and their use with students who had been diagnosed with Autism
Spectrum Disorders. According to the article research has been favorable with using notebooktype activity schedules, combined with scripted social prompts to increase the level of student
initiations of social interaction. These included using phrases such as “Look” or “Watch me”.
The authors also reviewed research in self-management and choice-making practices.
Incorporating these into an activity schedule aided in building independence. Another area of
research reviewed for this article was video modeling. According to one study reviewed in the
article, (Charlop-Christy, et al 2000), video modeling was more effective than live modeling
when working with a small group of students. The article also reviewed the current literature
on computer-based activity schedules. Each of the studies they reviewed were single-subject
studies, but each had favorable results. It was also noted the a study by Heiman, et al (1995),
that students with autism, who were presented with computer-based tasks might learn at a
quicker pace than those who primarily had teacher-based instruction. Multiple cues, using
simpler stimuli, and a pro versus con section were included in the discussion section. The
authors ended with a call for more research.
Why this is Relevant to my Study
This article reviews the current research, as of 2006, about issues surrounding computer-based
activity schedules. The questions brought up in the pro versus con section regarding the lack of
portability of personal computers and has the a student’s dependence now moved from the
teacher to the computer struck me, especially since the article is now eight years old. It does
bring up the question would a computer-based activity schedule create a dependence on the
computer anymore than a notebook-based schedule would create a dependence on the
notebook? My thought is that if an activity schedule is done well, and is a true schedule not just
a routine, it could be used as a way of building independence rather than dependence, no
matter the delivery platform.
Reference: McCoy, K. M., Mathur, S. R., & Czoka, A. (2010). Guidelines for Creating a
Transition Routine: Changing from One Room to Another. Beyond Behavior, 19(3), 2229.
What this study was about:
This study was done in a single cross-categorical resource classroom. The teacher looked at
minimizing transition times and increasing appropriate behavior during those transitions using a
combination of video modeling and cue cards. The video was viewed two days a week, and
used a peer to demonstrate the proper use of the cue cards while meeting classroom
expectations. On the other three days of the week, only the cue cards were used. Data was
recorded for six students. Of the six students, four had positive improvements in behavior. The
other two students were only followed for two weeks, due to school vacations and end-of-theyear disruptions, although they did demonstrate slight improvement.
Why this is Relevant to my Study
This study was very interesting, as it looked directly into the use of video modeling and
transitions in the classroom. The method struck me as very easy to incorporate into a daily
classroom procedure, as well as easy for the teacher to create. I was also very impressed with
the results, while definitely a small study, having four out of six students with positive results
shows how promising video modeling is in the classroom setting. This article is relevant to my
focus as I am interested in incorporating video modeling into a computer-based activity
schedule to improve our classroom transition times.
Reference: Banda, D. R., Matuszny, R., & Turkan, S. (2007). Video Modeling Strategies
to Enhance Appropriate Behaviors in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
TEACHING Exceptional Children, 39(6), 47-52.
What this study was about:
This study gave an overview of the research on the use of Video Modeling with students on the
Autism Spectrum, followed by an eleven-step process for how to create your own video model.
Overall the research reviewed demonstrated that “the VM intervention can be considered an
evidence-based teaching strategy because researchers in several studies consistently found it to
be effective for children with ASD.” (p. 49)
Why this is Relevant to my Study
This article was a general overview of video modeling, but it included several key points. Figure
1. Included a chart that shows the various research on video modeling as it pertains to
communication, daily living skills, academics, inappropriate behaviors, and social skills. Figure 2.
will be quite helpful when creating video models, as it lists out the a detailed eleven-step
process.
Reference: Jowett, E. L., Moore, D. W., & Anderson, A. A. (2012). Using an iPad-based
video modelling package to teach numeracy skills to a child with an autism spectrum
disorder. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 15(4), 304-312.
doi:10.3109/17518423.2012.682168
What this study was about: This study focused on teaching numeracy skills video modeling,
through use of an iPad with a child on the Autism Spectrum. This study used a video modeling
procedure that expected the subject to watch a video on counting a preferred item, while being
encouraged to count along with the objects on the screen, then he was prompted in the video
to write a specific number in the box on his worksheet, a video demonstrated where to write
his number and the instructor pointed to the subjects own worksheet followed by praise for
doing this correctly. The subject was then prompted to point to a card with the same number of
preferred items pictured, again followed by praise for the correct answer. This procedure was
completed three times for each individual video clip. The results demonstrated that the child
was able to master most numbers with a high rate of skill.
The procedure in this study incorporated video prompting, which allowed the subject time to
respond to a in video prompt, before continuing.
Why this is Relevant to my Study: While this study focuses mainly on teaching numeracy skills
which is not part of my current focus, it does so using video modeling. One very interesting
point was the use on in video prompting, including time for the student to respond. I also was
interested in this study as it used a method of delivering the videos on an iPad, which most of
my students will have access to on a daily basis.
Big Take-Aways: Overall Conclusions to Inform my Project
Several things surprised me in completing this research. The first being the lack of
specific research on using electronic or computer-based activity schedules that incorporate
video modeling with students on the Autism Spectrum. Of the five articles only two focused
specifically on this area, and were seemed to be more exploratory in nature. It was also
surprising that while two articles were written about this topic, none had done a study bigger
than a single-subject study and most collected data seemed to be qualitative. The age of the
articles also intrigued me, only two are written within the last five years. This seemed odd with
the new release of the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum
Disorders Evidence-Based Practices report. Of the twenty-four current Evidence-Based
Practices, three speak directly to this subject, including technology-aided instruction and
interventions, visual supports, and video modeling.
While there were only two article that combined activity schedules with video modeling,
there were quite a few that looked specifically at the video modeling procedure and its
effectiveness on instruction. The main areas of focus for video modeling research seem to be
social skills, communication skills, and academics. It was even noted in one article that students
who are diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum responded better to video modeling than live
modeling.
The article that I feel made the biggest impression on me was the on Ms. Cordova’s
class. This simple study demonstrated the effectiveness on using video modeling and cue cards
during a transition. The students seemed to be able to watch and interpret the video model
quickly and easily without further instruction. I was also impressed that four out of six students
made improvements in their ability to transition well, with only a daily five-minute time of
instruction.
Overall, this research has left me excited to see how the use of an activity schedule that
incorporates video modeling will benefit my students. Hopefully, we will be able to build a
better research based for future teachers to review.