Video modeling is a powerful, evidence-based tool that can help children learn to talk. I had a client who I’m going to talk to you about whose name is Kurt and he went from having 10 words in two hours to having a hundred words in two hours using this powerful tool: video modeling.
To try to increase Kurt’s use of words, I had an idea to use video modeling, which is a proven ABA strategy. Since it was holiday time and I wouldn’t be back for two or three weeks, I made two short videos for Kurt. One video was me singing head, shoulders, knees, and toes. The other video was me saying the words “eyes, nose, mouth, ear, head, glasses, hi” and gesturing with each word. I asked Kurt’s mom to put the videos on Kurt’s iPad if she had time.
I forgot about the videos and when I made them, I wasn’t even sure if Kurts’s mom was going to put them on the iPad or not. She was busy with two children who were both on the spectrum at the time. Making these goofy videos, though, actually worked out really well because when I went back after two or three weeks away and I walked into the house, I said hi to Kurt just as I normally would do, but this time Kurt responded by saying, hi, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, glasses. Hi.
I looked at mom and I couldn’t believe it. I shook my head and said, oh my goodness, I forgot about those videos. Obviously, he had watched the videos because he recited it in the exact same order that I made it. She said, yes. He watched the videos and that day instead of getting 10 words in two hours, I heard 100 words in that two-hour consultation.
Kurt went on to make loads of progress and we used video modeling for some of his other programs after that and he just took off. Kurt is now in early elementary school without support. He’s fully conversational and doing really well. At the end of the YouTube video on this blog is a video of Kurt singing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. He was so proud of himself.
I find that the use of video modeling is so helpful for kids like Kurt, especially if you can make a video model with songs. So, you may want to take out your camera today and make your own video model and show it to your child or client with autism.
