Method: This qualitative study followed guidelines for Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Single semi-structured interviews were conducted with five adults (2 males; 3 females; 40-65 years), recruited from MS Ireland.Findings: Participants valued art-making for contributing to a more satisfying way of life; for filling occupational voids and using time well. Deep immersion offered respite from worry about illness. Creative classes offered social camaraderie and opportunities for learning and development. Art-making processes and products were highly affirmative, increasing emotional well-being and promoting self-worth.Most felt that they expressed valued aspects of self through their art. Art-making appeared to assist with identity maintenance, accommodating functional losses associated with MS whilst opening 'new doors'. Conclusion:Art-making offered a multi-faceted means of supporting identity and increasing fulfilment in lives that were restricted in many ways by MS. 2

This study will inform the healthcare professionals about a new effective integrated clinical reasoning model which incorporates the complex processes of diagnosis, planning and treatment as a whole. This study may also become an important consideration in the further development of clinical decision support systems within the scientific area of health informatics.

Video modeling has been suggested as a powerful treatment tool that has mainly concentrated on increasing a variety of skills in children with autism. However, it has rarely been examined as a behavioral procedure for eliminating a kind of behaviors (e.g., noncompliance), a target that is often included in their support plan. Therefore, the present study provides preliminary effects of video modeling to establish instructional stimulus control over a simple behavior (i.e., clean up a toy) that required the termination of an ongoing activity. Three children with autism participated and experimental control was accomplished using a multiple baseline across subjects design.Children viewed a short video in which a typical peer first playing and then putting a toy away in a box upon the experimenter's verbal request 'play is finished'. Afterwards, they were required to demonstrate that modeled behavior in vivo. When this modeled behavior was performed, then programming for generalization across three other toys in the absence of any videotape took place. Results showed that video modeling could be an effective procedure for enhancing instructional stimulus control over a simple behavior for children with autism with lower baseline levels of disruptive behaviors and more developed imitation skills within a play context. Successful responding generalized across three other different toys and another subject and it was maintained after a 1-month follow-up period. Specific guidelines for building video modeling into real teaching situations are also discussed.This article is a version after peer-review, with revisions having been made (i.e., pre-publication version). In terms of appearance only this might not be the same as the published article. Final manuscript published as:"Nikopoulos, C.K., Canavan, C., & Nikopoulou-Smyrni, P. (2008 -OnlineFirst). Generalized effects of video modeling on establishing instructional stimulus control in children with autism: Results of a preliminary study. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. DOI:10.1177/1098300708325263" 2 Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has an impressive history of significant research and strategy development in the treatment of autism since the 1960s, with the studies of Ferster (Ferster, 1961; Ferster & DeMyer, 1961), Lovaas (Lovaas, Berberich, & Perloff, 1991; Lovaas, Freitas, Nelson, & Whalen, 1967), Wolf (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968, 1987 Wolf, Risley, & Mees, 1964; Wolf, Risley, Johnston, Harris, & Allen, 1967) and Risley, (Risley & Wolf, 1966 Nikopoulos & Keenan, 2003Keenan, , 2004aKeenan, , 2004bKeenan, , 2007 Parsons, 2006; Reagon, Higbee, & Endicott, 2006; Simpson, Langone, & Ayres, 2004; Sturmey, 2003; Taylor, Levin, & Jasper, 1999); or reducing disruptive transition behaviors (Schreibman, Whalen, & Stahmer, 2000).Significantly, findings suggest that video modeling offers many advantages over traditional teaching methods when it is used in diverse contexts and targeting a wide variety of skills and it can effectively promote general...

Although there has been a corresponding explosion of literature regarding the treatment of the social deficits in autism, the establishment of more complex social behaviors still remains a challenge. Video modeling appears as one approach to have the potential to successfully address this challenge. Following an introduction to modeling that constitutes the basis of this procedure, the current paper explores those video modeling studies that have targeted the promotion of complex social skills. It is suggested that this approach could be an effective addition to peer-mediated treatment procedures, especially for children with autism who cannot always be in environments where peers are present. Further, the likely success of video modeling seems to be dependent upon the prior elimination of behaviors that interfere with the development of imitation skills.

Video modelling could well be added within the rehabilitation programmes for this population.