Using a Hero as a Model in Video Instruction to Improve the Academic Performance of a Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study

The present study investigated the impact of a component of video hero modeling (VHM) on the object counting score of an elementary-aged student with autism spectrum disorder (Futoshi). In the VHM, the student’s special interest (Transformer®) exhibited the correct way of counting. The VHM was added to a modified video self-modeling intervention (MVSM), which was provided continuously throughout intervention sessions or withdrawn from the package of MVSM and VHM (MVSM+VHM). An ABCBCB design, with MVSM+VHM in the B phase and MVSM in the C phase, revealed that Futoshi’s object counting score improved every time the component of VHM was added whereas it decreased every time the component was withdrawn. In some MVSM+VHM sessions, the student exhibited verbal or nonverbal behaviors, confirming that he kept the hero’s performance in mind during object counting. MVSM alone was not effective in improving the student’s performance.