Marigrace Wilson

Intellectual Disabilities Strategy

Name of the Article: The Effect of Educational Software, Video Modelling and Group
Discussion on Social-Skill Acquisition Among Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

Population: Students with mild intellectual disabilities that demonstrate difficulties in their
social skills, lacking the ability to develop and maintain adequate social behaviors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a comprehensive intervention
program on the acquisition of social skills among students with mild ID.

Age/Grade Level: Middle school aged

Procedure:

Introduction: Research has demonstrated that individuals with IDD often require
substantial guidance, training and practice for establishing social skills as part of their repertoire
(Cartledge & Loe 2001; More 2008). The process of learning social skills may include
understanding judgment and reasoning and developing awareness towards the implications of
their behaviors; abilities that require multiple opportunities to practice before internalizing them
(Cihak et al. 2006). Simulations and modelling may provide additional support to that method as
it enables provision of precise examples followed by evaluation and discussion; thus, enabling
learning new behaviors in a controlled environment (Leaf & McEachin 1999; Nikopoulos &
Nikopoulou- Smyrni 2008).

Summary: For approximately 50 minutes/ 3 days a week, in small groups of 5-6,

students should participate in this intervention. During intervention, first students watch video
clips of adequate and non-adequate behaviors. These clips include 3-5-minute-long segments
depicting peers of the students, and sometimes the students themselves, enacting adequate and
non-adequate social behaviors related to three social situations. The content of the clips can be
reviewed by other special education experts to validate the content, age appropriateness, length,
and overall quality of the clip. The video modeling session should be about 10 minutes long.

Each clip is then followed by discussions related directly to behaviors they just observed. A
protocol was created for use of the program and discussion group. The discussions are based on
the video sessions and include specifics pertaining to social behaviors and types of behaviors that
would be considered social, including adequate and non-adequate behaviors. The participants,
with the teacher’s assistance, define the situation, explain it and then are asked to indicate
whether the situation presented an adequate and non-adequate behavior. Social problem-solving
issues include targeting the situations and the behaviors associated with it, identifying the
possible consequences and offering possible alternative behaviors relating to those situations,
should also be discussed. The protocol includes also a practice session in which the students,
divide into pairs, engage in a simulation and act upon the social skills discussed, in front of the
group. These sessions should include the teacher’s feedback throughout the simulation. Duration
of each session should be about 30 min.

Finally, students play educational computer games created for this intervention. This software is
called ‘Try to identity this social behavior’. The program incorporates three sets of situations
depicting video-modeling segments and three games that follow each set up. First, they are asked
to identify types of adequate and non-adequate social behaviors presented as images taken
directly from the video clips.

Then, they select the sequences of behaviors depicted in a set of three images, taken from the
video clips and placed unsorted on the screen. They are also asked to identify the type of
behavior along with the possible outcomes based off of two pictures on the screen. All
information, instructions, and feedback in the program are presented written and voiced.
Students should spend 10-20 minutes on the computer software. This ends with a final group
discussion about the behaviors addressed that day.

Possible Adaptations: I feel as if this intervention could be used in a variety of ages, settings,
and severities of ID. In the study, they include students with and without disabilities in the small
group which is great! This could be adapted to just students with intellectual disabilities for a
more intense intervention if needed. Also, elementary and possibly high school students could
benefit from this practice if the material is adapted to their learning level.

Reflection: Overall, I really like this because it not incorporates technology but it also includes
the students community as they watch fellow peers perform in the video clips. Although, it may
be a little work on the teacher- I think it is really worth it. There is also the opportunity to reuse
these videos for a few years. I feel as if this practice drills the targeted behavior in their head all
while quickly changing activities to keep their attention.

Research: The author states the results from the study demonstrate that the intervention
program that included video modelling and games embedded with group discussions and
simulations increased the level and use of adequate social behaviors within the school’s natural
environment. They quantified this through observation forms by various teachers before and
after the intervention training for a month.

Reference
Hetzroni, O. E., & Banin, I. (2017). The effect of educational software, video modeling and

group discussion on social acquisition among students with mild intellectual disabilities. Journal

of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30, 757-773.