| Social skills help assure a child's attainment of important social outcomes, including: (a) peer acceptance, (b) positive judgment of social skills by parents and teachers, (c) academic competence, (d) adequate self-concept and self-esteem, and (e) adequate psychological adjustment (Elliot, Sheridan & Gresham, 1989). At present time there exist a limited number of empirically examined and published interventions that are designed to improve acquisition of social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Empirically-supported intervention is fundamental to providing for the educational needs of children with disabilities therefore, efforts to identify effective treatments for ameliorating social deficits in children with autism have been the focus of much early-education research in recent years. An emerging body of research demonstrates the effectiveness of video self-modeling (VSM) for addressing social-communication and functional skills and behavioral functioning of children and adolescents with ASD. The primary purpose of the present study was to (a) synthesize existing research on video modeling and VSM interventions for children and adolescents with ASD and (b) examine the effectiveness of VSM for improving social engagement with classroom peers in children with autism and social and communication impairments. Twenty single-subject design studies were included in the meta-analysis, and five preschool-age children participated in the two single-subject design studies examined. Intervention and maintenance effects and social validity of the VSM procedures were measured. Results of these studies suggest that video modeling and VSM are effective intervention strategies for promoting skill acquisition, and evidence exists for the maintenance and transfer of skills across persons and settings. The studies extend previous research on VSM by measuring social interactions with same-age peers in a natural setting (i.e., the classroom) rather than with adults in a controlled clinical setting. Results of the VSM interventions are provided, and limitations and implications for practice and future research are discussed. |
