Autism Video Modeling: Let’s Get a Haircut for Boys- Skill Building Buddies on Harmony Square

Autism Video Modeling for kids to watch and Learn Social and Life Skills. Skill Building Buddies on Harmony Square Autism video modeling is an evidence-based learning method. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) benefit from learning from video modeling.

Feel nervous or scared when you have to have your hair brushed or cut? Mandy, Mikey and Marvel walk you through what happens when you get your hair cut by following Alex to the barbershop. Alex learns to wait his turn and listens to his mom. He learns about the tools a barber uses to wash, cut, brush and style his hair. Most importantly, he learns how to stay calm.

Skill Building Buddies is geared specifically for children who live with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Scenarios are broken down and each step is verbally described for the viewer, which is very helpful for a child with ASD who may have trouble reading nonverbal cues. Flashcards with visuals for "Look" (eye), "Listen" (ear), and "Stay Calm" (hands facing down) are used in the video to prompt children on how to respond when they start to get frustrated.

Video modeling removes the necessity of person-to-person interaction from the learning process. Removing this interaction takes the pressure off the child and allows the child to concentrate on the video. In Skill-Building Buddies, animated friends Mikey and Mandy, along with Marvel the puppy, help kids with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) to learn strategies for better communication and interaction with others. Kids with autism often have great difficulty with change and transition, becoming both agitated and resistant. In this program a practical three-step catchphrase is employed to reinforce positive behavior (“look, listen, remain calm”), as live-action situations are intercut with animated segments to illustrate five areas in transitions: “Preparing for Change,” “Changing Activities,” “When Things Don't Go Your Way,” “Handling Surprises,” and “When You Don't Know What to Do.” The program features plenty of repetition to reinforce each strategy as well as communicate key concepts such as “it's okay to feel upset/disappointed.” Combining quality animation, a great multicultural kid cast, and creative editing, this title is highly recommended. Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have an incredible tool, Skill-Building Buddies, to aid in their children's behavioral development. Guided by the charmingly animated hosts Mikey and Mandy and their dog Marvel, realistic, age-appropriate, live-action real scenarios create an audio-visual tool that enhances learning, provides motivation, and reinforces positive behaviors. The exercises take viewers through the process of working through situations they often find frightening or frustrating, instilling the mantra "Look, Listen and Remain Calm." The initial titles in the series are "Skill-Building Buddies: Handling Transitions and Change," and "Skill Building Buddies: Sharing and Taking Turns." "Handling Transition and Change" tackles the skill of coping and accepting change in the child's everyday life in five segments: "Preparing for Change," "Changing Activities," "When Things Don't Go Your Way," "Handling Surprises" and "When You Don't Know What To Do." Whether it's changing clothes, choosing a different snack or adjusting to an altered scheduled activity, the program teaches the look-listen-remain calm process and delivers the supportive message (though a peppy little song) "When Things Change, You'll Be Okay!" "Sharing and Taking Turns" presents children with effective strategies to aid with these concepts. Mikey, Mandy, and Marvel introduce various age-appropriate situations that could take place every day in school, at home, and in peer groups. Skill-Building Buddies development programs, which received the 2007 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, are produced by multi-award-winning Mazzarella Media. They are designed to meet the special needs of children with ASD, teaching them techniques and skills to help them handle the challenges they face every day and function in relation to other kids, bringing about healthy social interactions.