More YouTube – Video Modeling

by Seana Smith on Thursday, November 26th, 2009

Here’s another great use for YouTube, using clips as video models.   The link below is to a video of a boy getting a haircut, and could be used by all sorts of kids to give them a preview of what might happen.

Parents can also look at this and see the sorts of thing they could film themselves to show their own child.

On the subject of video modelling, a group in the US is getting together to look at promoting its use to schools and families.  If you have an interest in video modelling, you might like to join.

Technology Integration in Special Education

http://tech-in-sped.ning.com/

And if you are asking:

What is video modelling???

Here is a bit of information I have written about it:

What is video modeling?

Video modeling (VM) is, simply, the use of video to teach something new to a child.  The aim is to have the child imitate the “model” shown.

What can be taught?

Studies have shown that VM can be effective at teaching:   conversation skills, self-help skills, requesting, perception and expression of emotion, toy play and many other play skills.   A short selection of academic articles is given below.

University studies are all very well, but can VM help my child?

Excellent question!   If your child loves to watch television, that is a great start.   If they already copy things they have seen on television then all the better.   The only way to really find out is to try.

How do we get started?

There are two approaches; either make your own videos, or buy some commercial videos.   Several types are available, some of which have been made specifically for children with an ASD (Watch Me Learn and Fitting In and Having Fun.)

Making your own.

First decide exactly what it is you are aiming to teach your child.   As an example, if you wish to teach toy play with model cars, then find a person whom the child finds highly reinforcing (it could be mum, dad, granny or a sibling).   Video the model doing some simple car play, using simple language of the type the child uses, or just making car noises.

Make a 2-3 minute video.  Show this to the child 2-3 times and then show the same toys to the child  and encourage the child to play.   If this works, then keep on making lots of different mini-videos for the child to watch so that the toy play can expand from the learned scripts.    If it doesn’t work, show the video some more times.   Try it again using different toys.   Some of the professionals you consult may know how to help you with VM.  Do ask them for help and advice.   For some children VM is a very powerful teaching tool.

What is Video Self-Modeling?

This is when you film the child doing an activity, edit out all the bits where things do not go well, and make a video of the child being succesful at eg soccer, pronunciation, peer play.   You can fake the filming to make the child look as if he can do a new skill  eg being able to count, gross motor skills.   Then show the child the video 2-3 times and see whether it helps him or her master the new skill.

Isn’t watching TV bad for our kids?

Yes !!   Watching too much TV certainly is a problem, and many of our kids with ASD become real addicts.   But there are therapeutic videos to watch and many of our kids are visual learners so it can pay to use the natural advantages they have to help them learn.    Don’t hide the TV and videos – work on the programming !

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Inspiration from a YouTube video

by Seana Smith on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Here is a very lovely video from an Autism Association in Illinois, USA.   I’m sure this will touch the hearts of everyone who watches it.    I love seeing such simple yet powerful messages about ASD, and this is delivered really beautifully.

Ahhh…..  the makers of this have spoken for us all.    It’s one to share with family and friends and especially with those who don’t already know and love a person on the spectrum.

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DNA research and treatment – from Aussie researchers

by Seana Smith on Friday, November 13th, 2009

Here is some news of a new study from the University of South Australia.   Benison and I have met Dr Manya Angley twice this year and really enjoyed her talks as well as just chatting to her.  Dr Angley has a child who has autism and so she knows the condition very well and from the personal as well as the professional angle.   I have pasted the full news story from Science Alert below. Here follow a link about the study from Autism SA.

http://www.autismsa.org.au/newsletter/articles/article_009.html

You can read Dr Angley’s biog here:

http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/staff/Homepage.asp?Name=manya.angley

Personally, I find it tremendously encouraging that there is some real, practical research going on in Australia into both treatments and causes of ASD.   I’m keen  to get the word out about studies as they are done, and to encourage families to participate.

I can get all emotional about this – hooray for people doing this work and for those who financially support them!   Ten years after diagnosis I am not so desperate to know exactly the type of ASD my son has and what mix of genes, and possibly, environment led to it… but I do hope to know one day…. maybe it can be spotted very early if our kids have children, maybe it can be eased or even prevented with super-early intervention… there’s a lot of research going on and a lot of hope for the future of lots of children….

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Evidence-based treatments for ASDs

by Benison O'Reilly on Thursday, November 12th, 2009

In the Australian Autism Handbook we introduce readers to the concept of scientific evidence and how it applies to treatments for autism spectrum disorders.  As a general rule we recommend parents lean towards scientifically validated or evidence-based treatments and reserve particular scepticism for anyone promising the ‘miracle cure’.  Parents now have an additional evidence-based resource to refer to.

The National Autism Center (NAC) is a US–based nonprofit organisation dedicated to supporting effective, evidence-based treatment approaches for ASD.  www.nationalautismcenter.org/ Recently it released its National Standards Report.

When introducing the report the NAC noted:

The primary goal of the National Standards Project is to provide critical information about which treatments have been shown to be effective for individuals with ASD.

However, as the report authors explain:

It is not our goal to dictate what choices people make, but to provide enough information to allow them to make informed treatment decisions for themselves.

The report separates treatments into four categories, based on the level of scientific evidence supporting them:

Established, where, as the name implies, there is sufficient evidence to establish these treatments are effective. Examples include behavioural interventions, visual schedules and Social Stories™

Emerging, where one or more studies suggest a treatment produces favourable effects for individuals with ASD, but where additional high quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.  Treatments listed here include: DIR®/Floortime™ and RDI®, structured teaching and PECS.

Unestablished, where there is insufficient evidence to allow firm conclusions to be drawn about effectiveness.  Examples include (probably controversially for some parents) the GFCF diet and auditory integration therapy.

Ineffective/Harmful, where there is sufficient evidence to establish that a treatment is ineffective or harmful for individuals with an ASD. Interestingly there are currently no treatments listed in this last category.

At 176 pages the full report is not light reading and parents may prefer the Findings & Conclusions of the National Standards Project, a mere 53 pages long.  Log on to the website and follow the links. Please note that you are required to provide a few personal details to gain access to the documents.

This is a welcome new resource that should help a few parents navigate the maze of therapies that confronts them when autism unexpectedly enters their world.

68 COMMENTS

Frankfurt Book Fair

by Jane Curry on Monday, November 9th, 2009

I am just back from the Frankfurt Book Fair – the largest rights fair in the world. The fair absolutely confirms content is king (or queen) as you witness the volume and passion involved in the trading of intellectual property rights between countries and languages.

It is a privilege to be selling JCP authors into new markets – particularly when I have been so closely involved with the development of the book from the very beginning.

E-books were the hot subject but they are only the glossy new side of a very old and distinguished industry –  sharing ideas, concepts and imagination with the world through books.

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