Video Modeling for Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Work Occupations: A Systematic Review

Video modeling (VM) is a form of assistive technology (AT). It is an evidence based practice (EBP) for teaching skills to individuals to individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Currently, almost half of 25-year-olds with ASD have never been employed (Drexel Autism Institute, 2015). The cost of care for adults with ASD ranges between $175-196 billion dollars annually, the majority of which is spent on supported living facilities (Autism Speaks, n.d.). The high rate of unemployment and financial commitment currently required to support those with ASD, indicates a need to promote life skill acquisition, which is an essential area for occupational therapy (OT) intervention. VM is a strengths based intervention. Visual processing tends to be an area of strength for this population, while auditory processing tends to be an area of relative weakness (Campbell, Morgan, Barnett, & Spreat, 2015). By using VM to teach work tasks, including employment seeking, acquisition, and job performance overall vocational skills can increase (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). Using the PICOS guidelines - Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, Study Design, our research question for this systematic review is as follows: What is the state of the evidence for (P) adults and adolescents (16+) diagnosed with ASD, including those diagnosed PDD-NOS and Asperger’s syndrome according to the DSM-IV or ASD according to the DSM-V, including subjects with Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD), (I) who use VM on their chosen platform to increase task completion/skill acquisition in work occupations (C-O) While considering all levels of comparison and outcomes specific to task analysis data or skill improvement data (S) based on quantitative or mixed methods studies and all levels of evidence? Based on the results of this systematic review, the impact for OT using VM in practice will be discussed