There are many theories out there that address the differences in cognitive functioning that may explain what children with autism often struggle with typical methods of instruction. Almost all of these models identify impairments in attention, information processing, and memory. Investigation into attending skills in autism found delays in the shifting of attention between auditory and visual stimuli (Ciesielski, Courchesne, & Elmasian, 1990). When looking at information processing, Hermelin and O'Connor, (1970) found that children with autism had superior ability when encoding visuo-spatial information over processing auditory information. Study of the memory skills of children with autism indicates that memory for verbal material is delayed when compared to memory for nonverbal material (Prior and Chen, 1976). A shift in emphasis from language-based instruction to more visual instructional supports appears to be one treatment option for many children with autism (Quill, 1997).
Video modeling is well suited as a school-based intervention. It has been identified as a cost-effective, practical and empirically supported intervention strategy (Nikopoulos, Canavan, & Nikolopoulou-Smyrni, 2009). In over three decades of study, video modeling has proven an effective strategy to improve social, communication, adaptive and play skills (Shukla-Mehta, Miller & Callahan, 2010). Video self-modeling has been used in targeting problem behaviors (crying, difficulty transitioning, off-task behavior) (Coyle & Cole, 2004). Video modeling has its roots in behaviorism (Watson, 1997) and social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1969). This type of intervention relies on the theory of observational learning, which suggests that a child learns through observation and imitating other's behavior. This article suggests there are five reasons to use video modeling as an intervention: 1) Promotes independence; 2) Easy to individualize; 3) Low in cost; 4) Provides consistent implementation method; 5) Efficient across settings.