Using social skills videos with your children.
In Autism Education Teaching 101 classes at teacher's colleges around the world, future teachers are learning about video modeling. There are many articles around the web on video modeling like this one from the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders at . University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Many sites around the web break the process into several steps. However, the concept is pretty straight forward. You and your child discuss videos with special attention to social skills.
I've known about video modeling for months now. I think the biggest barrier to using the method is finding videos. Sure, you can make your own, but who has the time? You need actors and a script and camera and tons of time that many people don't have. Our jobs as caretakers of children are hard enough--though taking the time of making social skills videos is probably worth the effort.
The biggest misconception about working with students is that methods used to support students with special needs aren't typically specific for students with special needs. They're simply marketed to students with special needs. A common concept people spread about working with students with Autism is that they need visuals, for example. But, using visuals is beneficial for all students, not just those with Autism.
Even though video modeling is marketed and researched by professionals in Autism (I'll include caretakers as professionals), Video modeling is likely effect with students in general.
There are low energy methods of using visuals to analyze social skills situations like social skills comics. Social skills comics are illustrations of social skills with thought bubbles and dialogue which also help children analyze social situations.
Here is an example from makebelievecomics.com.
Make Believe Comics is a site that allows people to create comics. I found the above comic with the Google Images search: social skills comic autism drawing.
I teach a class serving students with ASD, and I frequently have students draw out their comics. Social skills comics are great because they can have thought bubbles and dialogue bubbles. These help students differentiate between what is socially acceptable to say versus what they can think.
I love social skills comics because they require little preparation, while still preserving the spirit of video modeling; they allow children to look at an image and reflect on social situations.
Of course, the reality is that video formats are more stimulating than drawing for many students-especially those who are not artistically inclined (I can think of a few students who feel bad when they look at their own stick figures.). Further, although I'm sure there are a handful of studies that show benefits of social skills comics, there have been many more studies on the benefits of video modeling. We all know how so many special needs advocates love the term evidence based practices.
I'm going to assume, you're down for video modeling at this point. If you're not, a simple Google search for video modeling will give you extra information. One of my favorite results for Googling "video modeling autism" is from Watch Me Learn, a company which sells video modeling related resources.
The most difficult part about implementing video modeling is finding videos. There are ton of valuable products available to people to purchase. But, there are also a ton of different needs for one child. Between buying social skills resources, nutritional supplements, and behavioral supports, caring for a child with special needs is pricey.
For those of us who are not insurance gurus, I've created a list of social skills videos that are free.
Every Day Speech: https://www.youtube.com/user/EverydaySpeech/videos
My local speech therapist has a subscription to Every Day Speech, and it looks great. I haven't collected much data on it. But it looks like textbook, properly made video modeling material.
TD Social Skills: https://www.youtube.com/user/TDSocialSkills/videos
TD Social Skills is another organization which offers resources to support children with Autism.
Free Videos for Autistic Kids:
I love Free Videos for Autistic Kids. The name isn't politically correct because of "autistic kids" in the name. But, it's a great site with free videos.
As always, feel free to comment about your experiences in parenting. I'm available for free consulting on starting a dialogue with your child's teacher or otherwise!
-Shawn
