A review of Effects of Video Modeling for Young Adults with Autism in Community Employment Settings

Bross, L. A., Travers, J. C., Wills, H. P., Huffman, J. M., Watson, E. K., Morningstar, M. E., & Boyd, B. A. (2020). Effects of video modeling for young adults with autism in community employment settings. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 43(4), 209-225. https://doi.org/10.1177/21651434209414

Reviewed by:
Lindsey Cicalese, BA & Robert H. LaRue, PhD, BCBA-D
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University

Why research this topic?

Procedures to teach specific skills for individuals with autism Employment outcomes for adolescents and young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are low relative to their neurotypical peers in the same age range. In fact, most people diagnosed with ASD are unable to obtain competitive integrated employment (Bush & Tasse, 2017). Not only do they struggle to find employment, but adolescents and adults with ASD are commonly placed in isolated job settings (e.g., warehouses, workshops), are often terminated from work positions, or may not be considered for opportunities for advancement due to their perceived inability to demonstrate “soft skills” (e.g., interpersonal communication, friendliness). These “soft skills” are especially important in the service industry where customer interaction with employees has a direct impact on customer satisfaction.

The assumption that young adults with ASD are unable to learn these skills, or would prefer employment with a repetitive nature, serves to further restrict their already narrow employment prospects. This, combined with the increasing number of customer service jobs in the United States, illustrates the importance of developing a framework to teach these essential skills to this population. One evidence-based approach for teaching these skills to people diagnosed with ASD is video modeling, in which learners are taught to imitate a target skill demonstrated in video form. The current study was an evaluation of the use of video modeling to teach customer service skills to autistic adults. It expands upon existing video modeling research to include a framework for teaching appropriate customer interactions to employees with ASD with jobs in the customer service industry.

What did the researchers do?

The study included five participants (four males, one female) aged 18 to 26 years who were diagnosed with developmental or intellectual disabilities (e.g., ASD, PDD-NOS). All had competitive employment with a customer interaction requirement (e.g., amusement park ticket salesman, movie theater worker). Participants in the study were taught three different customer service behaviors: A greeting phrase (i.e., “Hi, welcome to…”), a service-related phrase (i.e., “Can I do anything else for you?”), and a closing phrase (i.e., “Have a nice day!”). All customer service behaviors were individualized to each job setting.

In baseline, the participants were observed while completing their jobs, and data were collected on the occurrence of the targeted customer service skills (i.e., greetings, service-related comments, and closings). The participants did not have access to training videos during the baseline condition. After a stable baseline had been demonstrated for each customer service skill, treatment was implemented. During treatment, video models of people demonstrating the target phrases appropriately were provided to the participants before their shift with intervention agents collecting data on the targeted customer service skills. Once the initial greeting phrase was acquired, the researchers moved on to teaching the service-related comments, followed by the closing comments. The effectiveness of the video modeling for teaching these skills was evaluated using a multiple baseline design across the three behaviors/skills, meaning that the intervention was staggered across the different skills.

Additionally, observers were provided with a rating scale to measure the quality of the participants’ communication with customers based on appropriate tone of voice, timing (phrases stated in appropriate order), body language, and the statements themselves. The authors assessed the generalization of the skills by having a coworker, job coach, or supervisor implement the intervention.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers found that video modeling was a successful intervention for increasing appropriate social communication for all participants in the study. During the baseline period prior to intervention, all participants engaged in low levels of customer service behavior. Across participants, appropriate greetings were used in 0% to 12% of opportunities, service-related phrases in 1% to 40% of opportunities and closing phrases in 2% to 4% of opportunities. Upon implementation of video modeling, these levels rose to 53% to 89% of opportunities for greetings, 80% to 97% of opportunities for service-related phrases, and 57% to 100% of opportunities for closing phrases. These promising results were visible across probes for maintenance, which occurred two weeks and four weeks after the intervention was put into place. In addition, the researchers were able to train others to implement the procedure with high levels of integrity and with relatively little training effort, demonstrating the feasibility of the intervention and the lasting effects of its use.

What are the strengths and limitations of the study?

A major strength of the study is that the intervention was relatively simple to integrate into employment settings and could be justified as a relevant accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). Further, implementers of the intervention reported high levels of social validity, suggesting that it was an acceptable intervention by the majority of those for whom it was implemented.

There were some notable limitations identified by the authors. First, there were some components added to the intervention, including checking for understanding and social praise, that could have contributed to the intervention effects. Secondly, participants were aware their social skills would be evaluated prior to the study. It is possible that some of the improvement in the customer service skills was attributable to the fact that participants were aware they were being watched (i.e., reactivity). Future research might employ more discrete methods of observation (e.g., observing via video) to minimize potential reactivity effects. Another potential limitation was that opportunities for using social statements were not consistent across job settings and could have contributed to variability in the results. The maintenance probes designed to determine if treatment effects would last, were brief, which makes it difficult to determine if the intervention effects would persist over time.

What do the results mean?

There are few existing demonstrations of the effectiveness of video modeling for the development of “soft skills” in the workplace for those with developmental disabilities. This study provides evidence to support that individuals with ASD can be taught to have positive social interactions with customers, despite the societal bias that they cannot, and that video modeling can be a helpful tool to teach those skills. This study highlights the impact that video modeling can have as a resource for employers looking to support their neurodivergent workers and validates the use of video-modeling as a method of improving employment opportunities for individuals with ASD.

References

Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. (1990).

Bush, K. L., & Tassé, M. J. (2017). Employment and choice-making for adults with intellectual disability, autism, and Down syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 65, 23-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2017.04.004

Citation for this article:

Cicalese, L., & LaRue, R. H. (2024). Effects of video modeling for young adults with autism in community employment settings. Science in Autism Treatment, 21(7).

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