The effects of health skill instruction package offered to individuals with autism spectrum disorders

In this study, it was aimed to teach four individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) aged 16-25 the skills they needed to exhibit in order to undergo the oral and dental examination via video modeling using a tablet. Moreover, it was checked whether the participants maintained the skill they acquired even after 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 weeks, how they generalized it to different people, tools, and situations in two different community settings, at what level they cognitively acquired the dependent variable, and nontarget information. Furthermore, social validity data were collected from the participants with ASD before and after the implementation and from parents and dentists after the implementation. The study was designed in a multiple probe design with probe phase and was replicated to four participants. The cognitive acquisition level was determined with pre-test and post-test. Data on the nontarget information were collected at the baseline, after the criterion for instruction was met and following the last follow-up data. Social validity data were collected from 14 individuals (individuals with ASD, three mothers, one father, and six dentists) and analyzed descriptively. The research findings revealed that the participants acquired the target skill, maintained it for 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 weeks after the teaching ended, and generalized it to two different community settings. It is observed that the data on the nontarget information decreased in two participants following the last follow-up data after the teaching remained at the same level in others, the level of cognitive acquisition differed in all participants. The social validity data of the study indicate that the participants, parents, and dentists had positive opinions about the study.