Examining the Effects of Video Modeling and Prompts to Teach Activities of Daily Living Skills

Two young adults with autism watched short point-of-view clips on an iPad. The clips showed how to do three daily tasks: make noodles, pack a lunch, and tie shoes.

After each clip the learner tried the task. Staff gave praise or gentle prompts. The team tracked correct steps until each learner hit mastery.

Both learners mastered all three skills after a handful of sessions. One month later they still beat their baseline scores, but they no longer hit the full mastery mark.

The iPad videos worked fast, yet the gains slipped without extra practice.

Hong et al. (2016) pooled dozens of single-case studies the same year. Their meta-analysis backs the result: video modeling gives a solid, medium boost to daily living skills in autism.

Wilson et al. (2020) ran a head-to-head test. They found point-of-view modeling beat video prompting for cooking skills in teens. The new data line up: POV clips on a tablet stay king for quick, accurate learning.

Sutton et al. (2022) later copied the setup with a student who had intellectual disability, not autism. Skills still rose, showing the device-and-clip combo travels beyond one diagnosis.

You can load POV clips onto any iPad and teach chores in minutes. Shoot from the learner’s eye view, keep clips under 30 seconds, and run a few probe trials first. Plan brief booster sessions a month later to lock mastery.