The value of audio description for the therapy of speech-communicative disorders

The article aims at presenting the potential of audio description (AD) as an efficient tool to support the speech-language and social-communicative skills of children with developmental disorders. It includes information for both speech therapists and parents on what they may expect from AD, and how they can use it in their everyday work with children. It may also serve as a set of guidelines for AD creators for making their products more effective. The considerations assembled in the article are based on a literature review. Remarks on the possible uses of AD are presented in the context of various problems to be remedied during speech therapy of a child; they range from incorrect articulation of sounds, through hearing problems such as auditory processing disorder, to developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) characterized by difficulties with social interaction and repetitive behaviors including pretending play. The existing evidence proves that audiovisual (AV) materials are an attractive starting point for exercises with a child. Video-modeling, in turn, has proven to be one of the best tools for therapy of individuals with ASD, allowing for better understanding of interpersonal interactions. Therefore, AV materials accompanied with an AD track – which itself is perceived as a tool for enhancing information processing by children – need to demonstrate similar value for mastering communicative competences. AD can be an effective tool in speech therapy. However, to meet the needs of practitioners, caregivers and beneficiaries in a useful manner, it must be prepared with care regarding both its content and form.

Assistive Technology to Support Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Assistive technology (AT) is defined as any device or technology ranging from low to high that helps to improve functional skills of individuals with cognitive, physical, or neurological disorders. These technologies are devised to improve the functional activities of persons. ATs focussing on cognitive disorders like dementia, autism spectrum disorders, etc. can be categorized as ATs for cognition (ATC) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). AAC interventions consist of tools that aid the challenges faced by individuals with speech impairment during communication. AACs used often are speech-generating devices (SGD), software programs, and communication apps for efficient production of speech. ATCs include social stories and video modeling strategies. The use of assistive technology in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has great importance due to increased requirement for interventions in helping students. There are several lines of evidence showing the effectiveness of technology-assisted training in ASD patients.

Learning Basketball Tactical Actions from Video Modeling and Static Pictures: When Gender Matters

Recent studies within the physical education domain have shown the superiority of dynamic visualizations over their static counterparts in learning different motor skills. However, the gender difference in learning from these two visual presentations has not yet been elucidated. Thus, this study aimed to explore the gender difference in learning basketball tactical actions from video modeling and static pictures. Eighty secondary school students (Mage = 15.28, SD = 0.49) were quasi-randomly (i.e., matched for gender) assigned to a dynamic condition (20 males, 20 females) and a static condition (20 males, 20 females). Immediately after watching either a static or dynamic presentation of the playing system (learning phase), participants were asked to rate their mental effort invested in learning, perform a game performance test, and complete the card rotations test (test phase). The results indicated that spatial ability (evaluated via the card rotations test) was higher in males than in female students (p < 0.0005). Additionally, an interaction of gender and type of visualization were identified, supporting the ability-as-compensator hypothesis: female students benefited particularly from video modeling (p < 0.0005, ES = 3.12), while male students did not (p > 0.05, ES = 0.36). These findings suggested that a consideration of a learner’s gender is crucial to further boost learning of basketball tactical actions from dynamic and static visualizations.

Effectiveness of Video Modeling in Teaching Computer Skills to Students with Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of this study is to determine whether video modeling is effective in teaching computer skills to students with intellectual disabilities. The study was designed with the multiple probe design across subjects, one of the single-subject research designs. The study was conducted with three female students with intellectual disabilities, who were 17&ndash;19 years old. Graphical analysis was used to analyze the data. The results show that video modeling was effective for them to acquire and retain skills for preparing a r&eacute;sum&eacute;, printing it out, and emailing it. However, the students had difficulties generalizing some of the skills on different computers and printers. It can be said that the reason for this originates from different designs of technological tools. In line with this, it is thought that removing the accessibility barrier in technological equipment will increase availability. The video modeling motivated students to learn computer skills. The participants reported that they could use these skills to do homework, apply for a job, and communicate with friends.

Video modeling examples are effective tools for self-regulated learning in physical education: Students learn through repeated viewing, self-talk, and mental rehearsal

This study aimed at assessing the impact of video modeling examples (VMEs) on secondary school students’ self-regulated learning experiences in gymnastics in original physical education (PE) settings. A total of 56 students (28 males and 28 females), aged 16–17, took part in a seven-week gymnastics learning unit for the purpose of acquiring new motor skills and knowledge using VMEs, in the absence of teacher and peer assistance. Repeated measurements were collected through gymnastics floor routines and a custom-designed written test. Semi-structured interviews were administered to explore students’ self-regulated learning strategies. The analysis of quantitative data revealed significant improvements in males’ skill performance (pre: 4.54 ± 2.42, post: 10.97 ± 3.25 points; p < 0.001) and knowledge (pre: 6.43 ± 2.26, post: 13.19 ± 3.09 points; p < 0.001), as well as females’ skill performance (pre: 2.64 ± 2.09, post: 8.96 ± 4.12 points; p < 0.001) and knowledge (pre: 6.14 ± 2.48, post: 10.97 ± 3.25 points; p < 0.001) after taking part in the practical intervention. Sex-based differences, in favor of the males, were only observed in knowledge outcomes (males: Δ (Δ%) = 6.76 (105.1%), females: Δ (Δ%) = 4.25 (69.2%); p < 0.05). Qualitative data analysis yielded three major learning strategies: repeated viewing and interpretation of VMEs, self-talk and mental rehearsal. In conclusion, VMEs were able to empower the participating students to acquire motor skills and knowledge in PE classes through activating different metacognitive learning strategies, and even without resorting to teacher/peer assistance. Data from this study could prompt PE teachers to incorporate VME-mediated self-regulated learning methods into their teaching practices for better classroom management and for improving their students’ metacognition.