Cynthia Alvarado

Using Portable Video Modeling Technology to Increase the Compliment Behaviors of Children with
Autism During Athletic Group Play authored by Kevin Macpherson , Marjorie H. Charlop, and
Catherine A. Miltenberger details the use of video modeling to influence behavior in children with
autism.
The participants in the study were observed playing kickball with adults and peers. A baseline of
their behavior was taking to track their verbal and physical compliment behaviors. Afterwards the
participants were observed again in the same environment, but with the introduction of video modeling
treatment through the use of IPad. The goal was to see if video modeling treatment would increase
physical and verbal compliment behavior.
As a result of the introduction of video modeling treatment verbal compliments to peers
increased. Some compliment gestures occurred as well and participants responded more to variation in
activities. Activity which was untrained was also generalized to a point.
The results of the study conclude that during an athletic group the use of video modeling increase
the verbal compliments given by children with autism. The participants in the study “demonstrated more
than one compliment per opportunities and four of the five children demonstrated extensive response
variation.” Verbal compliments was inconsistent across the participants and although verbal
compliments increased few physical compliments were observed.
This study showed that video modeling in naturalistic environments can affect the behavior of
children with autism. Short clips shown during athletic group play increase the social interaction of
children with autism through the use of verbal compliments. However, the inconsistency in the study
shows that more research is need.
I am a behavioral therapist and I work with students with autism on a daily basis. I believe that
while the strategies for intervention do work, more research needs to be done in order to fully
understand and implement treatment. Challenging behavior in students with autism is as diverse as the
students who demonstrate them. I agree that video modeling can affect the behaviors of children with
autism especially in social settings. I have used video modeling with my students for various reasons
and have seen change in social behavior with peers. I believe we need to understand what are the
limitations and benefits of video modeling when using it as treatment to impact behavior.

Macpherson, Kevin, et al. “Using Portable Video Modeling Technology to Increase the Compliment
Behaviors of Children with Autism During Athletic Group Play.” Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders, vol. 45, no. 12, 2015, pp. 3836–3845.