Author's Advice

This year I created several Video Based Interventions in the classroom. I teach in a 6:1:1 classroom. The population consists of students with Moderate to Severe disabilities including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The age range is 14 to 17 years old. All of the students have limited verbal communication skills. By creating the different videos and implementing the intervention I have learned many things that will make the process go much smoother for the future. I have found that the intervention is effective for teaching pre-vocational skills and social skills. The research shows that it is effective for many more critical skills but there are the two I have focused on thus far. I would like to share these tips with all of you!

1. Do not start this intervention when you first are getting to know your students. The success of this intervention depends on the educator knowing what skill needs to be targeted, in what manner it needs to be presented and how to best set this student up for success. This is not an intervention that should be done in the first month of school. Wait until you know your students.

2. Since this intervention revolves around technology you need to first identify what technology is available to you. This will determine whether or not the intervention has to be viewed in the classroom or if it can be portable.

3. Do not determine what type of VBI you will be doing until you determine your target skill. Certain skills will likely be more effective if certain types of VBI are used.

4. Assuming you have paraprofessionals in your classroom do not start this intervention without informing them of the process. This includes even before you start filming. Have a team meeting and discuss the process of VBIs. Also make sure to briefly explain the purpose of the intervention. Sometimes paraprofessionals may not implement interventions exactly as we would like and this may be because we have no explained why we are implementing this. Explaining why the intervention is critical will increase the likelihood of the intervention being implemented correctly. This is a difficult intervention to implement without the support of all staff.

5. Try to plan out the video as much as possible before filming. Consider what is in the background. If there is something distracting in the background that may divert the student's attention. A script may be beneficial. Try to make the videos appear as natural as possible. Make it fun! No one wants to watch a boring video.

6. Back the video up on multiple devices. If the students are expected to view the video on the i-pad make sure you have the video in multiple other places. Personally, my students are very tech savvy and they know how to delete a video. Be sure to save the video on the devices, do not rely on watching the video on the internet (youtube). If the students are viewing the video in the authentic scenario there may not be internet access.

7. The intervention is meant to promote independence as well. Start with the necessary scaffolds and slowly remove them as the student becomes more confident.

8. Once the student starts to perform the skill correctly on a consistent basis incorporate this skill into the student's educational program in order to generalize the skill. Depending on the skill have the student perform the skill with different people, in different scenarios, create a problem that interferes with the process, etc.

9. Use whatever motivates your students in the video. For example if a student loves attention, a video could be created showing a student transitioning to a therapy and then once the student reached the destination the students received exaggerated praise. This is why it is critical to know your students in order for this intervention to be successful. Show the student getting their preferred choice after performing the task, etc.

10. This intervention takes time. It will not happen overnight. Progress may also not be seen quickly. If you believe you have filmed an effective video stick with it, modify the intervention as necessary.

11. Do not leave the students in the dark. Explain to them how the intervention will work. Some students may not react well to pausing the video or playing it on a loop without a warning. Set the students up for success as much as possible.

12. Utilize captions or voice overs as needed. Be careful not to overuse this. My experience is if there are too many aspects going on at once it might actually hinder student performance. Many students with ASD are visual learners. This will be dependent on your specific learner.