Step Toward Functional Independence: Teaching Shoe Tying Through Video Modeling and Task Analysis

Abstract

Shoe tying is a functional life skill which requires dexterity, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. This project takes place at the Recreational Education Center (REC) in Peabody, Massachusetts with the objective of testing the effectiveness of using a video model to teach shoe tying. At the time of recruitment, the participant was a client receiving applied behavior analysis services at the REC who was unable to tie shoes, and was capable of learning the skill. Once the video model was selected, a task analysis was created which breaks the skill down into small steps to track progress. After baseline data was collected, intervention trials were conducted using a least-to-most prompting hierarchy. Results found video modeling to be successful in improving shoe tying independence.