Video instruction as an intervention for teaching skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is gaining increased momentum in applied settings.Video instruction, comprised of video modeling, video self-modeling, and point-of-view video, has been utilized in various fields of study with various populations and target behaviors. Literature on video instruction will be reviewed to determine its effects on the acquisition and generalization of social and communication skills for students with ASD in order to determine whether empirical findings support video instruction as an evidence-based practice. Guidelines for effective implementation of video instruction strategies for students with ASD and recommendations for further research will be provided.

Relatively little attention has been devoted to the social validation of potentially effective autism interventions. Thus, it is often difficult to identify and implement evidence-based practices, and programming is often inadequate. The authors identified autism intervention components with reported effectiveness for school settings. The results of a social validation survey completed by parents, teachers, and administrators indicate strong, consistent support for program components falling within five functional areas: (a) individualized programming, (b) data collection, (c) the use of empirically-based strategies, (d) active collaboration, and (e) a focus on long-term outcomes. These socially validated interventions can be used to evaluate existing autism curricula and develop training for professionals, parents, and students in order to improve public school autism programs.

The effect of teaching parents of at-risk students to facilitate a home-based self-management program to improve homework performance and academic achievement was Investigated. The parents of 26 sixth- and seventh-grade students from two middle school programs for at-risk youth received training and implemented home-based self-management and reinforcement strategies. Results indicated that overall levels of homework completion and homework quality increased significantly for those students whose parents consistently implemented the 10-week homework program. Significant increases in mathematics achievement also occurred. These results suggest that the practice of homework may be an important element of academic programming for students at risk and students with disabilities and that parents may play a primary role in the homework process.

This study investigated interpersonal skills associated with the concept of behavioral artistry (BA), a repertoire of practitioner behaviors including care, attentiveness, and creativity, among others, associated with the effective delivery of applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment. Survey results indicated parents of children with autism preferred BA descriptors for ABA therapists over non-BA descriptors. A separate survey of 212 university students on a standardized personality assessment revealed students majoring and/or working in the field of ABA had lower levels of BA than those in other human services professions. Practitioners with higher BA scores were observed and rated more positively in their delivery of ABA for children with autism. Implications for training/supervising effective ABA practitioners within a BA model are discussed.

The authors analyzed the results of a social validation survey to determine if autism service providers including special education teachers, parents, and administrators demonstrate a preference for the intervention components of Applied Behavior Analysis or Training and Education of Autistic and other Communication Handicapped Children. They also investigated the comprehensiveness of these treatment models for use in public school programs. The findings indicate no clear preference for either model, but a significantly higher level of social validity for components inherent in both approaches. The authors discuss the need for research to define what is meant by comprehensive programming in autism.