The use of modeling or observational learning was pioneered by Albert Bandura in the 1970's. Bandura's research demonstrated that children develop a variety of skills by imitating actions they have watched others perform. Children who are attentive to the person who is modeling the behavior are more likely to imitate the behavior and may even generalize the behavior to new settings. Children are most likely to attend to a model and be motivated to copy them if they perceive the model as both competent and similar to themselves.

Video modeling, in which  a video demonstration of a person performing a desired behavior is used as a teaching aid, and video self-modeling (VSM), in which students are video taped successfully performing behaviors and then watch those videos as models, have both been used as ways to teach desired behaviors to students with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This meta-analysis examined a number of single-subject design studies which used video modeling or VSM to improve the social communication skills, functional skills, and behavioral functioning of students with ASD.

1. What were the intervention, generalization and maintenance effects of video modeling and VSM across the variables of social communication skills, functional skills, and behavioral functioning?
2. Do video modeling interventions meet the criteria for evidence-based practices outlined by Horner, Carr, Halle, McGee, Odom, and Wolery in 2005?

·  Interventions focused on functional skills resulted in the highest intervention effects (PND = 89%) followed by social-communication functioning (PND = 77%), and behavioral functioning (PND = 76%)

·  Interventions focused on functional skills resulted in the highest maintenance effects (PND = 100%) followed by behavioral functioning (PND = 82%) and social-communication functioning (PND = 78%)

·  Generalization effects were high for functional skills interventions (PND = 97%) and were moderate for social-communication skills.  Generalization of behavioral functioning skills was not measure in any studies.

Video modeling and VSM are effective intervention strategies for addressing skills important to self-determination for students with ASD, including behavioral functioning, social-communication skills, and functional skills.  As would be expected according to Bandura's theory of modeling, students performed best when they were highly motivated and attentive either because they enjoyed watching videos or in the case of VSM because watching themselves successfully perform a task on video increased their interest, attention, and possibly their self-efficacy. 

The authors suggest future research which focuses solely on the effectiveness of video modeling or VSM without combining it with other therapeutic strategies would be helpful in demonstrating the unique effects of these techniques.  More studies which measure social validity, intervention fidelity, and generalization effects would also be helpful in developing the research base on video modeling and VSM techniques for students with ASD.