Teaching Video Games as a Leisure Skill to Arab American Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Video Modeling: A Multiple Baseline Study

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently experience difficulties engaging in leisure activities because of deficits in social communication and interaction. Participation in meaningful leisure activities contributes to improved quality of life, emotional well-being, and social engagement. Despite the importance of leisure skills, limited research has examined interventions designed to teach leisure activities to culturally diverse populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of video modeling in teaching an active video game as a leisure skill to Arab American children with ASD. Three elementary-aged Arab American children diagnosed with ASD participated in the study. A multiple baseline design across participants was employed to evaluate the effects of video modeling on acquisition of the Nintendo Switch game Just Dance. Results demonstrated a functional relation between video modeling and increased independent performance for all participants. Participants maintained the acquired skills after withdrawal of the intervention. Students and teachers reported positive perceptions regarding the intervention. Findings support video modeling as an effective and socially valid intervention for promoting leisure skills among Arab American children with ASD.