Video Instruction
Video instruction is a powerful but underutilized teaching method for children with autism. It is well documented that many children with autism have strong visual skills, and it makes sense to use these strengths for teaching the most elusive of concepts, both role play and video the distinct advantage of providing information in a visual context.

Video segments, like role plays, can be used to teach a range of social behavior, from simple, discrete skills to more complex interactions. In addition, video segments make possible some teaching that would be difficult with role plays. Videos provide an excellent forum for modeling appropriate behavior. For example, it may be possible to videotape circle times at school. Your child can then watch peers engaging in appropriate behavior. It may be particularly helpful to tape a specific child. Your child could then sit near this "good model" during the actual circle times.

Some parents have used these tapes not only to identify appropriate behavior, but also to get their children to practice it. Your child could watch video as if it were circle time, and participate accordingly. This is a creative way to get many more opportunities to practice circle time behavior. It also has added generalization advantages because it is video of the actual teacher and setting in which the behavior will be required.

While it may be tempting to also videotape the inappropriate behaviors of peers, this is usually not as helpful. We want to emphasize the appropriate behaviors, and encourage emulation of these skills.

Videotaping your own child can be an excellent way to provide very specific feedback to him on his social behavior. Most importantly, it can be used to provide reinforcement to him for all of the behaviors he is doing well. When watching the video, you can pause and provide praise for jobs well done! It can also be useful in highlighting skills that need to be improved. You can, example, videotape your child in a circle time with several neighborhood children. You can then watch this tape with your child to identify all the things he is doing well, as well as to identify areas for improvement. Table 3-15 describes one such use of videotape to teach a child the rules of circle time.

Table 3-15 Sam Learns about Circle Time
Sam worked with his sister and a friend in a mock circle time as part of his home program. His instructor did a ten-minute circle time. She led them in a greetings song and activity she read a story and asked questions, she did the calendar, and she led them in two participatory songs. On the video, Sam was listening to the teacher, looking at his friends, doing the actions to the songs, raising his hand, and waiting his turn. Sam also, however, periodically stood up or stared at his hands.

Videos provide excellent opportunities for reinforcement. As you read the notes about Sam, look at all the things he was doing well. Watching the video with a child can be an immensely rewarding experience for everyone. Videos can also serve to educate the educators. In other words, you may see things on the video that are worthy of attention. In the example above, Sam will likely be more successful in school if he can stay seated at circle and if his hand staring becomes less frequent.

We have found that using videos is extremely successful with children with autism. Often, children who have been struggling with a particular goal are much more successful after they have watched it on video. Vidoes are also excellent bridges into self-assessment and self-monitoring (in which your child monitors and evaluates his own behavior). As children become more aware of their behavior, they become much better evaluators of their performance. This can have tremendous implications for behavior management.

We do urge caution in using videos to identify instructional targets (i.e., skill deficits that need to be addressed). It is important to ensure that viewing the videos does not become an aversive experience for your child. The vast majority of your comments should be positive, and should focus on things being done well. If you do use videos to address social skill lapses, it should only be for well-mastered skills that your child not demonstrated in this particular instance. Corrective comments should represent only a tiny fraction of the comments made while watching the tape, in addition, it may be best to simply ask in this context, "What could you remember to do next time?"

One final caution: It is important to work closely with school personnel to ensure that you are following their regulations for videotaping. It may be necessary, for example, to get the permission of other parents, the principal, or the school board.