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A Case Study: Providing Video-Modeling and iPads to Increase the Social Skills and Learning Process with a Student with Autism

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A Case Study:

Providing Video-Modeling and iPads to Increase the Social Skills and Learning Process with a Student with Autism

Phase 1

Capstone Project

EDTC 670

Professor Timothy D. Green

2012

Lindsay Barrash

University of Maryland University College


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Abstract

According to Autism Speaks (2012), “Autism now affects 1 in 88

children and 1 in 54 boys.” More and more children are being diagnosed

with this disorder and with that, there have been more research and tools out

there to support the treatments for Autism. The purpose of this case study is

to examine the effectiveness of integrating technology in helping a particular

student with autism in a kindergarten classroom. Using previous research

found will assist in the current research conducted. The part of autism that

will be covered is the difficulty of the student in social interactions, more

specifically problems with speech and language. In this case study, the

student has yet to be diagnosed, but with the proper steps and technology

used, the student’s improvement in communication with his peers and

teacher can be reached. The intended result is to help this specific student

struggling socially with autism in the classroom. From the previous research

completed on using technology to help autistic children has led to an

increase understanding into what works and what does not work in a

classroom. As a result from the previous research that has been completed,

this paper can pinpoint certain technologies that may be able to benefit this

autistic student.


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Introduction

Although autism was first recognized and diagnosed back in the early

1940s, it was not until the early 1990s when this mental disorder started

increasing amongst children, and now it is estimated to increase in diagnoses

every year (The Atlantic, 2010). As a result, there has been an increase in the

case studies being conducted on treating autism, and now recently, including

technology as a main treatment for the disorder. Social skills amongst

autistic children is one of the main struggles that occur in an academic

setting. According to Wilson (2011), “the most important contribution to

education that a multi-touch device provides is the ability to facilitate

learning by doing.” There is an assortment of technologies that allow autistic

children to improve their social skills with a hands-on approach that uses

role-playing videos and instructional applications on the iPad. This paper

will provide a look into incorporating technologies, such as videos and

iPads, into a kindergarten classroom for an autistic student, which could

potentially improve the social interaction amongst their peers and the teacher

or it could hinder the learning growth.


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Learning Problem

Kindergarten is a time to communicate, play, interact, and form

relationships with peers. “Dibs” is a kindergartner who lacks such interests.

He has shown signs of problems developing nonverbal communication sills,

such as poor eye contact and facial expressions with his peers as well as

when his teacher tries to speak to him. In addition, Dibs is falling behind in

learning important fundamentals that students learn at this age, such as the

alphabet and vocabulary words. He would rather be alone and play with

himself than interact with his peers in circle time. Dibs shows apparent signs

that something is wrong compared to the other students in the kindergarten

class.

Initial Observation

Most of the initial data collected was more observation in the

classroom, with the approval of the kindergarten teacher, Mrs. “Berger”. She

allowed me to observe and compare the students when learning the alphabet

and learning how to spell their own name. The activity included the whole

class sitting in front of Mrs. Berger learning the alphabet. Mrs. Berger first

taught them how to sing the alphabet song and then allowed each of them to

raise their hands when they knew a letter. After 26 letters had been


5accounted for, Dibs had not raised his hand once nor would he compile the

letters to form his name.

The kindergartner teacher expressed some concern about Dibs being

autistic from the lack of participation and interest he shared everyday at

school. Quote about autism” In addition, when there is playtime in the

classroom, Dibs would rather play alone than form a relationship with his

peers. Dibs is not progressing at a rate that kindergartners should, with

forming friendships amongst peers and participating in learning exercises

needed for first grade.

Autism Checklist

The next round of data was a checklist found at Autism Speaks, which

is another form of observation. The checklist is broken down into three parts

that deem important in figuring if Dibs is autistic or simply has a delay in

learning. The observation recorded play, relationships, and words that were

taken over a 2-week span to fully grasp the social aspect of Dibs in different

learning settings from independent learning to classroom participation.

Over two weeks, I came across certain signs and symptoms within the

checklist provided by autismspeaks.org that rang true about Dibs. Although,

a doctor or a specialist must diagnose a person with autism, his behaviors

and learning habits all point to him with this disorder. The below checklist


6shows an overwhelming amount of signs and symptoms that Dibs exhibits,

however, not all of the signs were checked off since not every person living

with this disorder will each have the same symptoms. According to autism

speaks.org “…symptoms and their severity vary widely across these three

core areas. Taken together, they may result in relatively mild challenges for

someone on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. For others,

symptoms may be more severe, as when repetitive behaviors and lack of

spoken language interfere with everyday life.”


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(Autism Speaks, 2012)


8School/Classroom Description

The school in this case study is located in the heart of Baltimore City

in Maryland. Leith Walk Elementary School and this kindergarten class

strive to improve the way students learn and the way educators’ teacher by

providing the best possible tools for each successful school year. Therefore,

the teachers believe empowering the students with an array of technologies

in the classroom will support lifelong learning and a successful career as a

student. The school consists of a population ranging from 600 to 800

students from kindergarten to fifth grade. The students in the school are

made up of 1 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, 89 percent Black or African

American, 6 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 4 percent White or Caucasian.

The kindergarten classroom that is featured in this case study has 20

students that range from 5-6 year olds. The students come from low-middle

class families with 40 percent males and 60 percent female students with 80

percent African-American, 10 percent Caucasian, and 10 percent Hispanic.

The kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Berger, strives to improve the classroom, by

having a rich school year full of visual arts, vocal music, instrumental music,

library time, gym time, and even learning Spanish. Mrs. Berger enriches the

classroom with field trips, and allows opportunities to visit and experience


9local educational attractions and neighboring states. Mrs. Berger even

applied for several grants to have a healthy snack time provided with slices

of apples; in addition, she received an iPad for the classroom with the help

of a grant. By having a hands-on teacher this kindergarten class excels in

state assessments and most importantly, the students are vastly ready for the

first grade.

Individuals Involved in this Case Study

Autism is a serious mental disorder that must be taken very serious,

especially at such a young age. There are not many involved in this case

study since the student has not been clinically diagnosed nor do his parents

know that their child might have autism. Mrs. “Susan Berger” is the teacher

in the kindergarten classroom who first recognized the student’s behavior.

Mrs. Berger is the only teacher and/or staff member at the elementary school

that is involved in this case study. She will be responsible for guiding the

study and allowing this research to take place in her classroom. Mrs. Berger

will provide the technology needed for this case study and provide any other

resources needed. In addition, Mrs. Berger will be working closely with the

student on a daily basis with the tools provided in the study.

The most important individual is “Dibs”, the student who shows signs

and symptoms of autism. Dibs is a 5 year old male that began his school


10career in Mrs. Berger’s kindergarten classroom in late August of 2012. Since

beginning in late August, there has not been much time in the classroom, but

with that small amount of what has been seen of Dibs, his progression is not

improving.

The final informal member of the classroom is myself, Lindsay

Barrash. I will be in the classroom 1-2 times a week in the classroom for this

case study. I will conduct my research as a “volunteer” in the classroom,

since again, Dibs has yet been diagnosed and cannot alarm any outside

individuals of this case study. With the guidance and permission of Mrs.

Berger, I will actively work with Dibs about an hour to two hours daily.

Since I cannot be in the classroom the whole day, Mrs. Berger will update

me on the data and reports, whether it is progression or a decline in results.

At the end of each week, Mrs. Berger and I will communicate on the

findings of that week as well as express any improvements needed to

enhance the learning needed for Dibs. Either way, Mrs. Berger plays a vital

role in this case study and without her support and assistance, none of this

would happen, and we would not be able to help Dibs in his educational

career.


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Technology Based-Solution

The technology-based solutions, which will be highlighted in this case study,

are as follows:

1. Video- often times autistic children enjoy watching the television,

or with this study a computer. Using video recordings can combat

social skills; demonstrate emotions/feelings, language

comprehension skills, and learning the alphabet and drawing

shapes. Role-playing is a great tool for this student to watch and in

turn perform these acts from these videos. From teaching children

such skills through videos, it is a great one-on-one learning tool

that will develop healthy habits and learn skills needed for

kindergarten and beyond. The student will watch five-two minute

segments each day on the computer on:

a. Language comprehension skills: learning by doing is an

important reason behind videos for autistic students. Using

keys words while demonstrating the task in the video will

help the student understand and complete the task. For

example, from these videos the student in turn can follow


12directions from the teacher, such as completing projects and

cleaning-up toys.

b. Social skills: teaching through videotaping items can teach

appropriate and inappropriate in social behaviors. Helping

the student ask questions to the teacher, playing with their

peers (or asking peers to play with them), and for

inappropriate behaviors-interrupting the teacher or their

peers.

c. Academics: using the videotapes to exhibit how to write the

alphabet letters, draw shapes, write their name out, and color

association.

2. iPad- According to She Knows (2012), "The iPad has become a

great tool when working with students on the autism spectrum

because it gives them the ability to control a piece of their

environment and an opportunity to communicate." The iPad is also

a great tool to use for the student since the nice size, weight, large

font capability, and the volume control is conducive in working

with autistic children. The student will independently use the

applications to increase items they struggle on such as, social


13interaction and the alphabet. Such applications that will be used on

a daily basis with Mrs. Berger or myself will be:

a. ABA Alphabet Flash Card App: This app will assist the

student in understanding the alphabet by using word

association. Using virtual flash cards will build the student’s

vocabulary and strengthen comprehension, and in turn

improve social skills (Apple, 2012).

b. ABA Receptive Identification - By Class App: This app will

assist the student in comprehension of language, listening to

and understanding what is being communicated. This will

allow improvements in social skills and following

directions. The app design provides a question and answer

portion where the student is able to improve word

association (Apple, 2012).

c. Talking Cards App: This app allows improvement in

communication amongst the student by voice recognition.

This is a great way for the student to tap on an item and

grasp how that item is pronounced. This designed for

forming sentences and holding a conversation with their

peers (Apple, 2012).


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Research-Based Evidence

Autism is a very complex disorder that varies in extremities amongst

each person diagnosed with this disorder. Although research studies have

been conducted on the treatments for autism for years, more recently the

research have focused their energy on using technology to treat autism.

There are no known cures for autism, but the research that uses technology

shows improvement in social skills and academics of those living with

autism. With that being stated, the previous research found are all in favor of

using not only technology, but video-modeling and iPads as way to

transform and improve the autistic students learning habits as well as social

skills.

Social skills is a big part of autism and can affect the growth of a child

living with this disorder, “intervention is especially important for those

students with disabilities who experience difficulties in learning social skills

without intervention” (Charlop, Gilmore, & Chang, 2008).

Since students are expected to listen and follow directions, autistic

students can receive those essential skills at a young age with the help of

technology. According to Lindsey-Glenn & Gentry (2008), “using assistive


15technology, such as computers, software, and other AT devices allows

students to become actively involved in the reading process as well as

encouraging the typically hard to engage student in literacy activities.” By

providing another outlet for learning instead of the traditional classroom

setting, students with autism are able to want to learn more.

Kimball, Kinney, Taylor, & Stromer (2004) found that children with

autism were more apt to learn to make comments following video rather

than “live” modeling, and both self-and other video modeling were effective

in teaching conversation skills.” Although the study favored this style of

learning, they suggest that when entering in another grade or another phase

of their life, they might be dependent on video modeling, whether good or

bad (Kimball et al., 2004)

In the research conducted by Charlop et al. (2008), they provide a

deeper look into a behavior factor into video modeling. This study is

actively trying to enhance and fade the video modeling from the students

learning process. This form of transition the student into a learning setting

with the rest of their peers is a more realistic approach, since Kimball et al.,

(2004) conducted research on video modeling as well, however, did not

tackle the aftermath of including this approach into an autistic students

learning. While the Charlop et al., (2008), states that the approach to


16transitioning off the video modeling, more research would needed to be done

to pinpoint the exact timeline for this transitioning period. However, each

autistic child is different and suffers from this disorder differently, and so it

can be difficult for a timeline to be used (Ozdemir, Universitesi, Fakultesi, &

Bolumu, 2008).

Although this study needed to further their research on easing a child

off video modeling, it prepares the current research being done with

appropriate information and facts to make the current study successful

(Charlop et al., 2008).

With successes of the iPad and using video recognition tapes, teachers

are forced to keep-up with the knowledge of using such tools. According to

Kirinic, Vidacek-Hains, Kovacic (2010), “…additional training on specific

technologies needs to be provided for teachers and parents involved in the

education of children with developmental disorders.” It is not enough to

have tools out there to aid autistic children, but individual’s involved need to

know how to use the tools appropriately, which can hold back progress.

Ogura, Coco, Bulat (2007), provides a detail look into severity of students

with autism in K-1 classrooms. This study provides an extremity of students

living with this disorder, which is benefited since; the current study on the

autistic student could show stronger symptoms of the disorder. In this study,


17the home-based learning is a key into a successful research, which as Ogura

et al. (2007), states can be a struggle if parents are not receptive. Ogura et al.

(2007), case study has successful results with home education as well as

classroom education, which is an important factor in providing a structure

schedule for autistic children as (Ogura et al., 2007)

Using the iPad has been showed to show improvements in the

classroom; however, Kagohara, Van der Meer, Ramdoss, O’Reilly,

Lancioni, Davis, Rispoli, Lang, Marschik, Sutherland, Green, & Sigafoos

(2012) took the iPad further, by including using employment opportunities

with this device. iPad’s have the ability according to Scattone (2007), “not

only would this help to captivate attention from students, it would also allow

teachers to differentiate instruction and tailor assignments to individual

students’ interests and ability level.” This study also promotes the use of the

various tools found on the iPad, such as, audio, images, and videos. Having

the capability to tailor the curriculum by using the iPad applications to fit the

needs of students is an excellent approach to enhancing learning (Scattone,

2007).

Kagohara et al. (2012), has suggested that students can independently

use the applications to increase items they struggle on, such as academics

that engages the students and practices spelling and grammar. A non-linear


18design in iPads can embed links into the text, which provides more

information for the students to gain a better understanding of the items

mentioned within the text. Students with autism have the ability to have an

on-hands approach to learning, which promotes students to have an on-hands

approach to learning. The iPad allows the user to search quickly since the

Wi-Fi capability finds the closest Internet connection, which allows students

to retrieve information faster (Lynch, P. & Horton, S., 2009).

The case study of Kagohara et al. (2012), would have been a

successful study into using the iPad with students with autism, but the

researchers wanted to show an array of topics that seemed to be difficult to

follow in the research. The results showed in favor of using iPad in an

academic setting and for improvements of social skills, but only briefly

discussed the results. The research took on too many domains to conduct,

rather than including information on the actual findings (Kagohara et al.,

2012).

In every case study found, the improvements amongst using

technology, specifically video modeling and iPads were found. The studies

all were within 10 years, which is important since many devices are new to

the education world. The pre-work that were being done were not present,

but only in one case study, which is important to have for the current case


19study. The following questions that Horner, Carr, Strain, Todd, & Reed

(2002), addressed to examine the effectiveness, efficiencies, and relevance

of behavioral interventions among children 8 years or younger were:

1. “What problem behaviors are most commonly identified for

intervention?”

2. “What interventions for problem behaviors are most frequently

represented in the literature?”

3. “To what extent are behavioral interventions particular positive

behavioral interventions effective at reducing the problem

behaviors?’”

4. “What events mediate or improve the likelihood of intervention

effectiveness?

5. “Are there behavioral interventions that are uniquely identified for,

and effective with, young children with autism?”

6. “What directions are needed for future research?” (Horner, et al.,

2002).

All of these questions posed in this research are very informational

and can be used in the current case study to pinpoint what is important and

what steps are needed to take, and not ones that will lead you in circles.


20In conclusion, the research conducted have all shown improvements

in the way autistic students learn and improve their social skills with the

assistance of video modeling and iPads. The only question is the effective

way to transition the student off such devices or does this need to even

happen? Such questions can hopefully be resolved in the current study and

working with one student. From the research conducted, it was apparent that

it was important to have many students participate in the studies, but again,

all students with autism are different, and the results will be different across

the board. Creating a forum that is tailored to each student seems to be

important in successfully integrating technology into the students learning

experience.


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References

Apple. (2012). Apple in Education. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/education/

Autism Speaks. (2012). Facts about Autism. Retrieved September 30, 2012 from http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/facts-about-autism

Charlop, M.H., Gilmore, L., & Chang, G.T. (2008). Using video modeling to increase variation in the conversation of children with autism. Journal of Special Education Technology, 23(3), 47-65. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Horner, R.H., Carr, E.G., Strain, P.S., Todd, A.W., & Reed, H.K. (2002).

Problem behavior interventions for young children with autism: a research synthesis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32(5), 423-445. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Kagohara, D.M., Van der Meer, L., Ramdoss, S., O’Reilly, M.F., Lancioni, G.E., Davis, T.N., Rispoli, M., Lang, R.,Marschik, P.B., Sutherland, D., Green, V.A., & Sigafoos, J. (2012). Using ipods and ipads in teaching programs for individuals with developmental disabilities: a systematic review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34(1), 147-156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2012.07.027

Kimgall, J.W., Kinney, E.M., Taylor, B.A., & Stromer, R. (2004).Video enhanced activity schedules for children with autism: a promising package for teaching social skills. Education and Treatment of Children, 27(3), 280-298. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Kirinic, V., Vidacek-Hains, V., & Kovacic, A. (2010). Computers in education of children with intellectual and related developmental disorders. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 2(5),12-16.doi: 10.3991/ijet.v5s2.1246

http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/facts-about-autism

http://www.apple.com/education/


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Lindsey-Glenn, P.F. & Gentry, J.E. (2008). Improving vocabulary skills through assistive technology: rick’s story.Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 5(2), 1-11. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Ogura, P., Coco, L., & Bulat, J. (2007). Using innovative technology to foster reading development among young children with severe cognitive impairments. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 4(10), 2-13. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Ozdemir, S., Universitesi, G., Fakultesi, G.E., & Bolumu, O. E. (2008). Using multimedia social stories to increase appropriate social engagement in young children with autism. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 7(3), 80-88. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

More, C. (2008). Digital stories targeting social skills for children with

disabilities: multidimensional learning. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(3), 169-177. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Scattone, D. (2007). Social skills interventions for children with autism.

Psychology in the schools, 44(7) 717-725. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

She Knows. (2012). Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Retrieved October 1, 2012 from http://www.sheknows.com/sheknows-cares/autistic-spectrum-disorders/articles

The Atlantic. (2010). Autism’s first child. Retrieved October 1, 2012 from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/autisms-first-child/308227/

Wilson, G. (2011). Experiences with the mobile interactive learning table a custom table for education. Master of Science in Computer Science College of Engineering, 30 (1), 1-65. Retrieved from http://www.themadresearcher.com/wilson_thesis.pdf.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/autisms-first-child/308227/

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/10/autisms-first-child/308227/

http://www.sheknows.com/sheknows-cares/autistic-spectrum-


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