The effects of video modeling in teaching functional living skills to persons with ASD: A meta-analysis of single-case studies.
Video modeling delivers a reliable, moderate boost in functional living skills for learners with ASD—keep it in your toolbox.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hong et al. (2016) pooled every single-case study that used video modeling to teach daily living skills to people with autism. They ran a meta-analysis to find the average effect.
The team looked at skills like brushing teeth, making a sandwich, or setting an alarm. All studies used video clips to show the steps, then measured how well learners copied them.
What they found
Across all studies, video modeling gave a moderate boost in daily living skills for learners with autism. The effect was steady and reliable, not huge but worth using.
The meta-analysis shows the practice is evidence-based for this goal. You can expect clear gains most of the time.
How this fits with other research
Storch et al. (2012) ran an earlier meta on the same type of studies. They found large effects when another person was the model. Hong et al. (2016) widened the lens to daily living skills only and still saw solid moderate effects. The two results line up: both say video modeling works.
Wilson et al. (2020) later tested teens learning to cook. They compared video modeling to video prompting and saw modeling win on speed and errors. This single-case result matches the moderate, steady gain Rea’s meta reported.
MMcQuaid et al. (2024) used video modeling plus simple props to teach menstrual hygiene to autistic girls. They got large, fast gains. Their focused skill and added simulation may explain the bigger jump, yet the core tool—video modeling—remains the same.
Why it matters
You now have meta-level proof that video modeling is a safe bet for teaching daily living skills to clients with autism. It is low cost, easy to share, and works across ages and settings. Keep short clips ready for tooth brushing, laundry, or simple cooking routines. Pair with in-person prompts if needed, but let the video carry the main teaching load.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Film a 30-second point-of-view clip of the target skill and run three guided viewing trials before the client tries it solo.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show deficits in functional living skills, leading to low independence, limited community involvement, and poor quality of life. With development of mobile devices, utilizing video modeling has become more feasible for educators to promote functional living skills of individuals with ASD. AIMS: This article aims to review the single-case experimental literature and aggregate results across studies involving the use of video modeling to improve functional living skills of individuals with ASD. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The authors extracted data from single-case experimental studies and evaluated them using the Tau-U effect size measure. Effects were also differentiated by categories of potential moderators and other variables, including age of participants, concomitant diagnoses, types of video modeling, and outcome measures. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Results indicate that video modeling interventions are overall moderately effective with this population and dependent measures. While significant differences were not found between categories of moderators and other variables, effects were found to be at least moderate for most of them. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: It is apparent that more single-case experiments are needed in this area, particularly with preschool and secondary-school aged participants, participants with ASD-only and those with high-functioning ASD, and for video modeling interventions addressing community access skills.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.07.001