Effects of video-enhanced activity schedules on academic skills and collateral behaviors in children with autism

Abstract

Objectives: The effects of iPod-based visual activity schedules with embedded video models (video-enhanced activity schedules) on the academic skills and challenging behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were evaluated.Methods: A multiple baseline design across three target skills was used with two participants, ages 9 and 11, to assess the effects on academic skill acquisition (e.g. calculating fractions and percentages, identifying synonyms). Additionally, we assessed for potential iatrogenic effects of using a highly preferred electronic device in intervention by measuring engagement in stereotypy and challenging behavior.Results: Video-enhanced activity schedules were effective in teaching both participants to independently complete a variety of academic skills. Generalization across untaught stimuli and four-week maintenance of academic skill improvement was observed. Undesirable increases in stereotypy were not observed and challenging behavior improved over the course of the study.Conclusion: Video-enhanced activity schedules may represent an efficient treatment option for teaching new skills which reduces the need for teacher-delivered prompts and increases the independence of children with ASD.