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Group-Delivered Video Modeling to Teach Pretend
Play Skills to Young Children with Autism K.A.
Kroeger, S. Weber, E. Johnson, R. Doty, S. Tyo,
E. Boehmler, L. Theilman, M. Carter, D. Kelly
Results
Introduction Functional play is a skill
characterized by using a prop in the manner that
it is intended. Symbolic play occurs when one
object is substituted for the original or
appropriate use object. A common
characteristic of children with autism is a
deficit in symbolic or imaginative play.
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
also engage in stereotypic self-stimulatory
behaviors that interrupt engagement in functional
play with toys and other children. Previous
studies have examined the possibility of teaching
children with autism how to engage in these play
activities. Kasari, Freeman and Paparella (2006)
found that interventions aimed at teaching
children with autism how to play can be effective
and the skills are easy to generalize across
people and environments. Another study conducted
by DAteno, Mangiapanello and Taylor (2003)
looked specifically at the effectiveness of video
modeling as an intervention to increase play
skills in children with autism, and they found
that after the children viewed a video of others
engaging in a sequence of complex play skills
they acquired similar verbal and motor responses.
  Video modeling (VM) is a form of
observational learning that provides a visual
model of the targeted behavior or skill. Bellini
and Akullian (2007) found VM to be effective for
teaching social skills to children with ASD and
that these skills generalized across people and
environments. Kroeger, Schultz and Newsom (2006)
used VM to explore the potential benefits of
teaching social skills to children with ASD and
found that group-delivered interventions using
same-aged peers to model appropriate play was an
effective teaching strategy. The current study
investigates if VM is an effective intervention
for teaching children with autism to engage in
pretend play activities. Additionally, it
determines if the models are effective when
delivered in a group format.
Procedure The VM intervention, including viewing
the video as well as generalized play time,
lasted approximately 15 minutes per session. The
videos portrayed two typically developing, same
aged girls. Three different common childhood
pretend play routines (including playing doll
house, building and construction and being in a
music band) were modeled. The videos ranged in
length from two to six minutes. The intervention
included baseline, treatment with the video
models and a return to baseline where the video
models were discontinued. Baseline lasted two
weeks (4 sessions) and provided the children
exposure to the themed toys without instruction
during a 10-minute free play. The intervention
was introduced and each play routine was
consecutively presented for two weeks each (8
sessions) for Phases 1-4. The children viewed the
videos for each module as a group and immediately
began 10 minutes of free play with the
theme-specific toys. The return to baseline
discontinued the video models, but maintained the
10-minute free play with access to theme
materials. Additional ABA components were added
per phase. Phase 1 VM for doll house play
routine Phase 2 VM for construction play
routine addition of edible reinforcement for
target play behavior Phase 3 VM for musical
instruments and band play routine continue
reinforcement for target play behavior addition
of physical prompt to engage with target toys for
low response/no response participants
For the group play totals, observed functional
play behaviors increased from 103 instances out
of 380 opportunities (27) during baseline to 229
instances out of 420 opportunities (54) during
return to baseline (RTB).
Child 1 participated in EIBI for approximately 1
academic year, attended 50 of the sessions, and
increased from 10 functional play behaviors (4
recorded out of 40 observations) during baseline
to 32.5 functional play behaviors (13 recorded
out of 40 observations) during RTB.
Child 2 participated in EIBI for 1 academic
year, attended 90 of the sessions, and increased
from 1.2 functional play behaviors (1 recorded
out of 80 observations) at baseline to 40
functional play behaviors (32 recorded out of 80
observations) at RTB.
Time Sampling and IOA Each 10 minute video clip
was divided into 20 segments (30 seconds each).
Seven independent raters employed momentary time
sampling to record the occurrences of functional
play for each child within the video clips.
Interobserver agreement (IOA) was then
calculated. Baseline 92.8 (50 of sessions
recorded) Treatment 92.6 (42
recorded) Return-to-baseline 92.9 (50 recorded)
Participants and Setting Study participants
included seven children diagnosed with an ASD who
were currently enrolled in an early intensive
behavioral intervention (EIBI) group at a
Midwestern, regional childrens hospital. The
group met two times per week for 1.5 hours for a
total of ten weeks. The EIBI group was led by a
behavioral assistant, psychology trainees, and a
clinical psychologist. Participants ranged in age
from 3- to 5-years and included five boys and two
girls.
Child 3 did not have a previous treatment
history, attended 70 of the sessions, and
increased from 0 functional play behaviors at
baseline (0 recorded out of 40 observations) to
57.5 functional play behaviors (46 recorded out
of 80 observations).