Comparison of TAGteach and Video Modeling to Teach Daily Living Skills to Adolescents with Autism

The development of independent behavior, specifically for daily living skills, proves critical as individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) pass through the high school environment into adulthood. The present study examined the short-term effects of two instructional methods (i.e., TAGteach, video modeling) to improve accuracy on daily living tasks for adolescents with ASD. The experimenter implemented an adapted alternating treatments design to compare the effects of TAGteach and video modeling for teaching daily living skills (i.e., teeth brushing, face washing, applying deodorant). Participants included three 17-year-old male students diagnosed with ASD who made minimal progress acquiring these skills in the past. Results indicated that short-term instruction using both TAGteach and video modeling produced immediate improvements in performance on targeted tasks for all three students.