Video Modeling to Teach New Skills (And Possibly a Good Approach for Online Learning)

Hi everyone!

I've been using the teaching strategy of video modeling for years and it's a great, evidence-based practice for students with autism. I also did my dissertation for my PhD about video modeling, so it's a strategy that I was forced to know a lot about, LOL. Just kidding; I chose video modeling for my dissertation because it can be such a powerful and effective teaching strategy for students with autism.

Simply defined, when you're teaching with video modeling, you make a video of what the student needs to do or learn. It's like a video demonstration. This can be very effective for students with autism, as it presents information visually, which is often a way that these students learn really well. Many students with autism also enjoy video technology, so it may represent a preferred method of learning for them. As a note, I have some research articles to support these points and they're listed in my dissertation, if you'd like to read it. :) You can find the published article based on my dissertation here: http://www.daddcec.com/uploads/2/5/2/0/2520220/final_doj_2018.pdf#page=106

If you're a teacher who has recently switched to online learning, perhaps making some video modeling demonstrations of activities for your student might be an idea to try. You could host the videos on YouTube or I would assume that there's a way to upload them to Google Classroom or whatever online platform you're working with.

If you're a parent, you can use video modeling at home too. It's a great strategy to use, even if you're in the same physical location as your student, because of the benefits of video modeling described above. It's considered an research-based teaching practice for students with autism, even for in-person instruction.

A while back, I hosted a free online webinar about video modeling and posted a note-taking page to go along with it. It will give you some of the basics of using video modeling, but please feel free to ask me if you have any questions. I would love to help support you during this time.

Here's a link to the webinar. It was a Facebook live I did in my Facebook group. I've tried several times to download it so that I could upload it to YouTube, but it doesn't seem to be working. So, if you'd like to see the webinar, you'll need to join the Facebook group! Sorry! Here's the direct link to the webinar in the group: https://www.facebook.com/AutismHomeschoolSuccess/videos/292265898126835/

Please also make sure that you download the note sheet to go along with the webinar: http://www.positivelyautism.com/downloads/VideoModelingFBLiveHandout.pdf

One more thing...if you'd like to see some examples of video modeling, I'm planning to post video modeling videos of me doing simple art projects that your children or students may enjoy. I've found that many of my students enjoy these projects and are often more attentive to watching me demonstrate the projects and following along on their own. I hope that the videos will be similarly interesting and helpful for them (and your children or students as well). I'll be posting these videos on my Facebook page called, "Adapted Art Activities for All Abilities," which you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/AdaptedArt/