Comparison of live modeling and video modeling on teaching symbolic plays to children with autism spectrum disorder in small groups

The purpose of this study is to compare the live modeling and video modeling in terms of effectiveness and efficiency on teaching symbolic plays to children with autism spectrum disorder in small groups.The study was carried out with children with autism spectrum disorder who were attending the Benevolent Citizens Foundation Special Education Center at the district of Tepebasi in Eskişehir. One of the participants in the study was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder and two of them were diagnosed with autism. The participants were all male at the age of eleven. In the study, adaptive alternating treatments design was used. The independent variables of the study were live video modeling and video modeling presented by small group instruction; the dependent variables of the study were the symbolic plays of acting as a waiter and acting as a barber. The research findings demonstrated that both live modeling and video modeling presented by small group instruction were effective in teaching, maintaining and generalization of symbolic plays to children with autism spectrum disorder. Video modeling was more effective than live modeling in acquisition phase; live modeling was more effective than video modeling in maintenance phase; and there was no difference between live modeling and video modeling in the generalization phase. The findings also revealed that video modeling was more efficient than live modeling for two participants, and live modeling was more efficient than video modeling for one participant. Moreover observational learning was occurred in both live modeling and video modeling; and that not only the participants but also the preservice teachers had positive views about the research process. Keywords: Live modeling, video modeling, symbolic play