Abstract
This study examined the effectiveness of video modeling to teach a preschooler with autism to imitate previously mastered and not mastered actions during song and toy play activities. A general case approach was used to examine the instructional universe of preschool songs and select exemplars that were most likely to facilitate generalization. Experimental control was evident in a multiple baseline design across three imitation activities. In addition to video modeling, additive components that included highlighting critical features of the video examples, prompting/fading, and social reinforcement were required to demonstrate a functional relationship. The results also showed generalized imitative performance to actions that were not previously mastered. The findings suggest that general case analysis, video modeling, and additive procedures can be combined to both teach new imitative behaviors and promote generalization of previously-mastered behaviors. The results are discussed with reference to future research directions and implications for practice in educational settings.
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