Video self-modeling safeguards should cover recording authority, informed participation, assent when applicable, editing accuracy, dignity, storage, viewers, reuse, retention, deletion, and withdrawal. Edited footage can show selected successful performance, yet it can also hide prompts, assistance, repeated attempts, or context. Families should know what was changed, which claim the video supports, and whether another teaching format is available.
Define video self-modeling safeguards
Describe the target, recording sessions, prompts, editing steps, final clip, audience, playback schedule, and data plan. Preserve the original clinical record when required. Never imply the edited sequence occurred independently in one continuous take when it did not.
Protect dignity and control
Let the person review the clip in an accessible way when feasible, decline scenes, stop viewing, or choose deletion within governing rules. The ASHA guidance supports AAC access during these choices. Avoid humiliating comparisons or displaying distress and private care.
Interpret selected footage carefully
The BACB outline covers modeling, prompting, measurement, and evaluation as examination content. The Ethics Code addresses consent and assent when applicable, confidentiality, documentation, client involvement, and risk.
Measure the actual response
Keep video exposure, modeled attempts, independent probes, prompts, withdrawal, and client report separate. A polished clip is a teaching artifact, not baseline evidence or proof that the skill generalized.
Example and family questions
Evan approves an edited clip showing three supported steps of a camera setup. The edit labels staff assistance. Ask: Who chose each scene? Can the clip be withdrawn? Where is it stored? Which independent probe tests use?
Sources
- Association for Behavior Analysis International, Basic Principles in Behavior Analysis
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board, BCBA Test Content Outline, 6th edition
- Council of Autism Service Providers, ABA Practice Guidelines Version 3.0 public summary
- Marzullo-Kerth and colleagues, Using Multiple-Exemplar Training to Teach a Generalized Repertoire of Sharing to Children With Autism
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Finni resources
