University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2008 The Impact Of Video Modeling And Peer Mentoring Of Social Skills For Middle School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders In In Christine Ogilvie University of Central Florida Part of the Education Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Ogilvie, Christine, "The Impact Of Video Modeling And Peer Mentoring Of Social Skills For Middle School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders In In" (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 3547. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3547 THE IMPACT OF VIDEO MODELING AND PEER MENTORING OF SOCIAL SKILLS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN INCLUSIVE SETTINGS by CHRISTINE ROSE OGILVIE B.S. Fitchburg State College, 1996 M.S. Fitchburg State College, 2001 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Department of Exceptional Education in the College of Education at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2008 Major Professor: Lisa A. Dieker © 2008 Christine R. Ogilvie ii ABSTRACT Given the behavioral expectations of students by teachers and peers in middle school inclusive classrooms and characteristics inherent to students with ASD, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of video modeling and peer mentoring of five critical social skills for inclusion on middle school students with ASD. Specifically, the extent to which the combination of video modeling and peer mentoring of five critical social skills would increase the level of demonstration of these skills in the general education inclusion setting was investigated. Because individuals with ASD exhibit limited social communication skills, those skills necessary especially at the middle school level to understand the “hidden curriculum”, social skills instruction has been deemed important (APA, 2004; Smith-Myles & Simpson). The current multiple baseline across subjects study was grounded in the research on video modeling (Bellini & Akullian, 2007) and peer mentoring (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2005; Maheady, Harper, & Mallette, 2001) as methods of providing social skills instruction for middle school students with ASD (Goldstein & McGinnis, 1997; Smith-Myles & Simpson, 2001). The impact of the video models and peer mentors was measured using the level of demonstration of five critical social skills on three middle school aged students with ASD. All three students with ASD were included in at least one general education classroom. The results of this investigation indicated that the combination of video modeling and peer mentoring of critical social skills positively impacted the levels of demonstration of the skills of students with ASD. While results varied, all three students with ASD increased their levels of demonstration of the targeted critical social skills. iii This dissertation is dedicated to my family, Larry and Mary Ellen, Anne, Harold, and Justin, for their unconditional love and support and for the lifetime of love I have seen through their eyes. I dedicate this to you and thank you for helping me become the woman I now am and the teacher I strive to be. We’ve faced many “elephants” throughout the years and I was lucky enough to have you to teach me how to “eat” those elephants one bite at a time. Very few people get to meet their heroes. I have been fortunate to have lived a lifetime with mine. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to first acknowledge my advisor and chair, Dr. Lisa A. Dieker, whose ne’er waning support and encouragement have assisted me in achieving my goal of positively impacting the lives of children with special needs. She is a true “starfish thrower” as well as the kind of woman, teacher, and advisor I would like to become. Next, my committee, Dr. Dieker, Dr. Wienke, Dr. Pearl, and Dr. McIntire, who guided me on this journey with patience and sensitivity. You’ve prompted many changes in my life and I have grown immensely because of you. I am truly blessed to have had such strength and balance supporting me. I would also like to acknowledge three people from the Institute of Simulation and Technology, Eileen Smith, Darren Hughes, and Mike Carney. Your guidance and skills in creating the videos for my dissertation is deeply appreciated. Without you, the quality of the videos would have been much less. I was fortunate to have found my way into an incredible school system and wish to acknowledge the teachers, staff, and students at the school in which I completed my dissertation research. You opened your doors and your hearts to me and I am all the better for having known you. And finally, to my cohort and extended cohort family, I never imagined when I started this program the personal and professional changes that would happen in all of us. I can imagine having travelled this road with anyone else but you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. xi LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................xiii CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS CLARIFYING COMPONENTS.................... 1 Introduction............................................................................................................. 1 Conceptual Framework of the Study ...................................................................... 1 Autism Definition and Prevalence.............................................................. 1 Inclusion...................................................................................................... 4 Social Skills Instruction .............................................................................. 6 Video Modeling .......................................................................................... 8 Peer Mentoring.......................................................................................... 10 Summary of Research............................................................................... 11 Study Design......................................................................................................... 11 Purpose of the Investigation.................................................................................. 12 Definition of Terms............................................................................................... 12 Research Questions............................................................................................... 14 Null Hypothesis: ....................................................................................... 14 Significance of the Study...................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND RELATED RESEARCH ................. 16 Introduction........................................................................................................... 16 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)........................................................................ 16 History of Autism Spectrum Disorders..................................................... 16 Definition of Autism Spectrum Disorders ................................................ 18 Impairments in Communication ............................................................... 19 Impairments in Behavior........................................................................... 20 Impairments in Social Interaction............................................................. 21 Summary of Characteristics of Individuals with ASD ............................. 21 Prevalence of ASD throughout the Years................................................. 22 Prevalence of Individuals with ASD and Education................................. 23 Inclusion................................................................................................................ 24 The Law and Inclusion.............................................................................. 24 Definitions of Inclusion ............................................................................ 31 Benefits of Inclusion for Students with ASD ........................................... 32 vi The Nature of Middle School ................................................................... 33 Teacher Expectations in Inclusive Settings .............................................. 35 Social Learning Theory......................................................................................... 37 Social Skills Instruction ............................................................................ 39 Skillstreaming ........................................................................................... 41 Video Modeling .................................................................................................... 44 Individuals with ASD and Video Modeling ............................................. 46 Benefits to Students with ASD in Studies Using Video Modeling .......... 49 Video Modeling as