How to Create Social Skills Videos
In the last month, I have gone from zero knowledge of how to make an iMovie, to making 5 of them! It has been a fun and engaging process for me and (most of) the students! One student keeps asking when HE will get to be the “star” of the show!
Although most of my videos have involved Social Skills Video Modeling, in which I take video clips of the student doing the expected behavior and then we review the video (often multiple times).
I have a student, however, who needs to learn not to imitate. Since it would be very difficult to take a video of what the student is NOT doing, his teacher and I put together a social story on video using his favorite topic: Minecraft. This is a non-verbal video (since the Minecraft characters do not talk), but as I was reviewing it with him, I explained what was going on and how the characters were first doing unexpected behavior and then expected behavior. Take a look at our efforts and tell me what you think!
ย The advantages to social skill videos such as these are:
- It is engaging for students to see movement (compared with static pictures in regular social stories).
- The student’s favorite music can be paired with the video.
- It is easy to voice over the video and explain the expected and unexpected behaviors.
- The videos can be shown to the student daily as reminders of expected behaviors.
- The student can give a “lesson” to his/her entire class by showing and explaining the video.
How do you make an iMovie?
Looking for more social skill videos and modeling?
Interested in learning more about Minecraft and Autism? Check out this inspiring article!
This is great! I’ll absolutely be trying to make some of my own. I love the mine craft idea!
A concern- the game is on top of the fire extinguisher! I know with my group, no touching the fire alarm, fire extinguisher, etc EVER, unless there is a fire, is something that we have had to really emphasize. I know it’s really nitpicky, but that would be something that could be an issue with my kiddos.
I love how committed you are to your individual students’ specific needs and your creative spirit. The Minecraft idea is inspired! Here’s a tip I’ve recently been experimenting with some of my minimally verbal students. I take a picture of them receiving a highly preferred item and use the Chatterpix app to make it seem like they said “yes” and then do another pic with them pushing away a disliked item and saying “no”. Not exactly a social story due to a very limited attention span, but one of my students has begun to verbalize….you guessed it “no”! Wishing you and your family a happy new year, peace and especially health. P.S. A Prayer for Owen Meany is also one of my faves. Like “The Book Thief “, the characters lived with me long after I finished it.