The Impacy of Video Modeling and Role Playing on the Development of Empathy among Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The researcher investigated the impact of using video modeling and role playing on the development of empathy among learners with autism spectrum disorders. Four elementary pupils with previous diagnosis meeting the autism spectrum disorder were recruited and assessed before and after the intervention by asking the parents and teachers to answer Autism Social Skills Profile and Empathy Spectrum Quotient. Prior to the intervention, all the participants had little awareness of the emotions of people around him. They lacked awareness of nonverbal cues of others and seemed that they did not understand the concept of how their actions affected the feeling of others.  Results showed that their behaviors improved after the intervention. There was a positive impact on the peers of each participant since there was an improvement in classroom behavior since they started to recognize facial expressions and body language, react appropriately to situations, share what they had, waited for their turn to play, and initiated interaction. All the participants were able to reach the second level of Hoffman’s stage of empathy development, egocentric empathy where they offered comfort to their peers the way they knew what would comfort them such as taking turns, dealing with frustration, sharing food, and staying quiet when being talked to by the teacher.  Although it was not evident that they were able to share the emotions of their peers, they offered comfort and showed concern. It appeared that video modeling and role-playing could be a helpful strategy in assisting students to
develop empathy and bring about various positive changes when introduced in the classroom. It is therefore recommended to try out the treatment used in the study with other disabilities and determine the effectiveness among learners with special needs.