Training Car Wash Skills to Chinese Adolescents With Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Community

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of video modeling and visual task analysis on the acquisition, maintenance, and engagement of washing cars for three Chinese adolescents with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. Video-based training was conducted in the conference room of a university-affiliated autism research center in China, and the hands-on training using visual task analysis took place in a local car wash. Three male adolescents (16–19 years old) participated in this study. A multiple probe across four tasks design was used. Results indicated that the training was effective in increasing independent and accurate responses of car wash tasks for all participants, and two of the three participants had a relatively high level of task engagement after the training. The acquired skills and improved task engagement were maintained for up to 6 months without practice. Implications in vocational skills training for Chinese adolescents in the community are discussed.