promoting daily living skills for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders via parent delivery of

157 Pages·2015·6.55 MB·English

PROMOTING DAILY LIVING SKILLS FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH AUTISM
SPECTRUM DISORDERS VIA PARENT DELIVERY OF VIDEO PROMPTING ON
THE IPAD
by
Elisa M. Cruz-Torres

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of
the College of Education
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Education

Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida
May 2015
Copyright 2015 by Elisa M. Cruz-Torres
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the support and guidance I
received throughout this academic journey. First, I want to extend a heartfelt appreciation
to my committee members for their devotion and commitment. Dr. Mary Lou Duffy, your
enthusiastic and unwavering support was instrumental in helping me explore new heights
and depths of my abilities. Dr. Michael Brady, your ability to make sense of the madness
that is methods was invaluable. Dr. Peggy Goldstein, your insight and perspective of
parenting was vital in helping me see the value in my research on a broader and richer
scale. Dr. Kyle Bennett, your passion for behavior analysis was the catalyst for my
pursuit of knowledge of the ABA field so I especially thank you for opening this door.
I would also like to extend a special thank you to the individuals who supported
me in so many ways—Ali and Jessica, for your positive encouragement, guidance and
feedback; Noelle and Kathy, for your commitment and involvement in my research;
Kateri, you were the best pasta-making and shoe-tying model a researcher could ever ask
for. I would also like to thank the parents and their children for their participation in my
study. Your dedication to and enthusiasm for my research have encouraged and inspired
me to do the best work I can.
Lastly, I would like to express my love and appreciation for my family. Thank
you to my mother, Judy, and brother, Luis, for always encouraging, supporting, and
believing in me. Guilherme, thank you for your enthusiasm in participating in my
research and for enriching my life in so many wonderful ways. Finally, thank you to my
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husband, Cassio, for your steady reassurance and confidence in me as I made my way
through this journey. You are the “calm to my crazy,” and for this I am forever grateful.

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ABSTRACT
Author: Elisa M. Cruz-Torres
Title: Promoting Daily Living Skills for Adolescents With Autism
Spectrum Disorders via Parent Delivery of Video Prompting on
the iPad

Institution: Florida Atlantic University
Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Mary Louise Duffy
Degree: Doctor of Education
Year: 2015
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects one out of every 68 children in the
United States. The disorder is characterized by persistent deficits in social
communication, social interaction, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interest,
or activities that together limit and impair everyday functioning. Research has shown that
the use of visual resources, such as video modeling procedures, can support individuals
with ASD to acquire and maintain a variety of daily living skills leading to enhanced
levels of independence.
A variety of technological devices have proven to be effective and efficient tools
for the delivery of videos aimed at promoting independence among individuals with ASD
while reducing the need for external prompts provided by others. As technology
advances, devices have become more portable and, ultimately, affordable. Parents and
caregivers have not only obtained these advanced technological devices, but actively seek
to become more competent in using them to assist their children with ASD in a variety of
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ways. While there is ample research to support the use of portable devices to promote
daily living skills for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities,
relatively few studies have examined whether parents can be trained to effectively deliver
video prompting interventions through the use of mainstream devices.
The current study sought to evaluate parent fidelity of implementing video
prompting procedures using an iPad tablet as taught during a behavior skills training.
Procedural fidelity was assessed utilizing a multiple baseline across participants’ design
to determine if their children with ASD, between the ages of 12 and 17, were able to
acquire and master the steps of a targeted daily living skill. Results indicated that parents
were successful in their implementation of the training procedures. Results also
demonstrated that their children were able to correctly and independently complete the
steps of their daily living skills with high accuracy while also self-fading the viewing of
video prompts. Implications for parent training and future research are discussed.

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DEDICATION
This manuscript is dedicated to my father, Luis A. Cruz, and “honorary father,”
Regino “Reggie” Cora, both of whom believed education was the key to freedom.
PROMOTING DAILY LIVING SKILLS FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH ASD
VIA PARENT DELIVERY OF VIDEO PROMPTING ON THE IPAD
List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xi
List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xii
Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1
Chapter 2: Literature Review ...............................................................................................6
Autism Spectrum Disorder ..........................................................................................6
Early Intervention ........................................................................................................8
Parent-Implemented Intervention ..............................................................................10
Evidence-Based Practices ..........................................................................................14
Technology-Aided Instruction and Intervention .......................................................16
Video Modeling .........................................................................................................20
Behavior Skills Training ............................................................................................26
Research Questions ...................................................................................................29
Chapter Summary ......................................................................................................29
Chapter 3: Method .............................................................................................................32
Participants ................................................................................................................32
Task Selection ...........................................................................................................36
Setting ....................................................................................................................41
Materials ....................................................................................................................41
Behavioral Measures .................................................................................................43
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Independent Variable ........................................................................................43
Dependent Variables .........................................................................................44
Data Collection .................................................................................................45
Parent Satisfaction Surveys ...............................................................................47
Procedures .................................................................................................................49
Phase 1: Pre-Baseline Visits .............................................................................49
Phase 2: Task Analysis and Training Materials ................................................50
Phase 3: Baseline ..............................................................................................50
Phase 4: Behavioral Skills Training ..................................................................51
Phase 5: Intervention .........................................................................................54
Phase 6: Maintenance ........................................................................................55
Experimental Design .................................................................................................56
Observer Training and Interobserver Agreement ......................................................56
Chapter 4: Results ..............................................................................................................64
Parent Delivery of the Intervention ...........................................................................64
Set 1 Implementation ........................................................................................64
Set 2 Implementation ........................................................................................66
Summary of Parent Implementation ..........................................................................71
Effect of Intervention on Mastering Daily Living Skills ...........................................72
Social Validity of iPad Intervention ..........................................................................75
Chapter 5: Discussion ........................................................................................................80
Findings Related to Research Question 1 ..................................................................81
Findings Related to Research Questions 2 and 3 ......................................................87
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