Autism Specrum Disorder - Social training through roleplay.
 

Hopefully Chris will allow me this indulgence of a double post through linking to another topic thread.

Any advice from anyone who is using consumer, prosumer camcorders in behavioural work and social training with high function autistic spectrum kids and teens will be muchly appreciated. The question from a friend and colleague is reproduced in another thread where a specific camcorder ype is being contemplated.

The linked thread is here :-

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-avc...ml#post1715844

Re: Autism Specrum Disorder - Social training through roleplay.
 

My boy has emerged from his autistic shell more with computers than with cameras.
But, we did start to do Youtube videos of him 'teaching' things like making pancakes and such to get him to see himself as others do...

Re: Autism Specrum Disorder - Social training through roleplay.
 

An interesting topic to post about.

My son has Asperger's. I hadn't thought about using video to aid in his education.

Re: Autism Specrum Disorder - Social training through roleplay.
 

The trainer-facilitator or whatever his role is named, constructs the activity as a little film-making exercise.

I can't be more detailed and specific as there are client confidentiality considerations.

In the process of acting to a script, practice by the participants in social situations is inherent but concealed a little as a fun activity rather than a chore. The facilitator wants to add a little more apparent production value than yielded by the existing small chip camera, camera mike and ambient lighting.

I have seen a roleplay movie from a few years ago ( VHS ) which was brought in for me to see by an ex-participant in an unrelated program. The young guy had some fond memories of having made the little movie, which was basically the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf.

My understanding is that the exercise had been more along the lines of confidence building rather than actual social training.

He was quite unselfconscious about it and identifying himself as being affected by Asperger's. Such candour might not be helpful to him in the wider less tolerant and less informed world but in terms of confidence building, the method using working to cameras seems to have been effective.