Target Behaviour
In their recent study, Phillip et al. (2018) have used video prompting, one of the widely adopted video-based interventions (VBIs) in applied behavior analysis, and backward chaining to the acquisition and retention of the shoe-tying behavior in children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The researchers recruited three children, Artico, Leiliste, and Carl, who had exhibited mild-to-moderate ASD. The three children were all 5-years old.
Instructional Procedures
The training process involved the researchers prompting the children to watch the video, which accompanied each of the current steps. The second stage involved placing a shoe in front of the children. The researchers followed this procedure by prompting the children to follow and complete the step on the shoe placed on the table. Having completed or attempted to complete the step, the researched provided verbal praise, in addition to replacing the shoe with the child’s preferred or favorite toy for 30 seconds.
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After the trial, the researcher proceeded to reset the shoe to the current step. The researcher ensured that the training process continues to the following step, especially when the child completes three consecutive trails independently, as well as correctly, within the session. Failure to complete a step correctly required the researcher to replay the video up to three times. Through prompting, the researcher described actions and offered little physical guidance. The children were then given their toys for another 30 seconds after the trial. The researchers continued with backward chaining until the child mastered the chain of shoe-tying.
Results
The key findings from the training involved Carl’s failure to complete step six by simply putting his hand inside the provided shoe. As a result, the researchers blocked the behavior once they started giving out instructions. Through two video promptings, Carl succeeded in mastering the criteria. Across all steps, the researchers noted that all of the children responded to zero steps because they could not access step six by completing step five. The researchers realized this is a general pattern because the children first demonstrated instructional gains before mastering any step. After learning any of the new steps, the participants demonstrated each of the previously learned steps. The researchers found that the procedure served as an effective tool for the acquisition of the desired skill or behavior in all participants.
Review
Two of the ethical and practical validity considerations to the instructional strategies used in this study involve seeking parental written consent and relying on data collection. In essence, the researchers have to obtain parental consent as a way of ensuring the participants are not coerced to participate in the experiment. Moreover, the chosen strategies require the researchers to collect data in a systematic manner, documenting successful, as well as unsuccessful completion of the training.
Reference
Philip, R., et al. (2018). Teaching children with autism to tie their shoes using video prompt-models and backward chaining. Developmental Neurorehabilitation . Doi: 10.1080/17518423.2018.1518349
