Investigating the Effects of Video-Enhanced Activity Schedules on Preacademic Skills for Young Children With Autism

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a clinician-implemented video-enhanced activity schedule and an embedded Premack contingency on on-task behavior, independent task completion, and challenging behavior for preschool-aged children with ASD. Method Participants included four preschool-aged children with ASD and four registered behavior technicians in one clinic. The study utilized a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of the video-enhanced activity schedule on child on-task behavior, independence, and challenging behavior. Results Results indicated a functional relation between the implementation of the intervention and an increase in on-task behavior and independence; however, the results suggest a functional relation was inconclusive for reductions of challenging behavior. Social validity results indicated that participants perceived the intervention to be socially valid for instructional contexts. Conclusions Study findings suggest that video-enhanced activity schedules may be an effective instructional modification for increasing on-task behavior and independence for young children with ASD. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.