Effect of Video Modeling With Simulation on Improving Menstrual Hygiene Skills for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Film a clear pad-change routine, add a quick practice round, and watch autistic teens master period care faster than with parent talk alone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested video modeling plus hands-on practice for teaching period care. They worked with autistic teens who had never managed pads on their own.
Kids watched a short clip of someone changing a pad. Right after, they practiced with real supplies while an adult gave light cues. A second group only got parent talk and picture cards.
What they found
The video-plus-practice group learned the whole routine faster and made fewer mistakes. Gains were large and held one month later.
Parents said kids asked for privacy and handled accidents without panic.
How this fits with other research
Hong et al. (2016) and Storch et al. (2012) both pooled older studies and found video modeling helps daily living skills. The new trial adds a girl-focused skill and shows the method still works in 2024.
Piraneh et al. (2022) used the same plan for tooth-brushing in Iranian boys. Both studies beat paper-based lessons, proving video modeling crosses cultures and body parts.
Wilson et al. (2020) compared plain video modeling to video prompting for cooking. They saw modeling alone won. The period-care study keeps modeling but adds real-time practice, pushing the idea one step further.
Why it matters
Many autistic teens start periods with no idea what to do. This study gives you a cheap, respectful tool: film the steps, then let the learner try with actual supplies. You can shoot the clip on a phone in ten minutes and run the lesson in any bathroom. Independence and dignity go up while parent stress goes down.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Background Menstruation is a biological process experienced by women every month. This project intends to improve menstrual hygiene skills using video modeling with simulation. Educating adolescent girls with autism spectrum disorder to engage in personal care during their menstrual cycle, particularly sanitation and hygiene, is essential. It is important to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for effective self-care during menstruation to prevent sexual health problems. Additionally, the project aims to provide a safe environment for adolescents to practice their menstrual hygiene routines and relieve the stress from their caregivers. Aim and objective The study aims to evaluate the effect of video modeling with simulation to improve menstrual hygiene skills in adolescents with autism. The ultimate objective of the study is to determine whether video modeling with simulation in the experimental group enhances the practice of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls with autism, as well as the impact of traditional occupational therapy intervention on improving menstrual hygiene in this population. Methodology This is a quasi-experimental design with convenience sampling and selected samples (n=50), who were then split into two groups: an experimental group (n=25) and a control group (n=25) based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The experimental group received video modeling and simulation, while the control group did not receive any specific intervention except parent education and pictorial representations. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to measure the changes. Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism was the screening tool used and the Menstrual Practice Needs Scale (MNPS) was administered. The duration of the study was six months, three sessions per week, lasting 45 minutes to an hour each. The statistical analysis was done with significance at a 1% alpha level using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results The pre-test and post-test data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann-Whitney test. The results demonstrated the comparison of the pre-test and post-test mean scores of the MNPS scores were highly statistically significant (p-value of 0.000) when compared to the control group. Following the implementation of video modeling with simulation, the experimental group's post-test scores were significantly higher than the control group's (p-value of 0.000). Thus, the study showed that video modeling with simulation improved menstrual hygiene in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Conclusion The clinical significance of this study was that the adolescents were excited to watch the videos and perform the activities; furthermore, after video modeling with simulation was implemented, there was a significant improvement in the experimental group when compared to the control group. This enhances the practice of the menstrual hygiene skills independently by the adolescents. Video modeling with simulation has paved the way for improving menstrual hygiene in adolescents with autism. Although the findings from the study are positive, more clinical trials are needed to prove that video modeling with simulation can be used as a therapeutic modality.
, 2024 · doi:10.7759/cureus.62847