The Effect of Observing Video and Point-Light Models on Learning a Basketball Shot in Adolescents with Autism

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the learning of a Basketball throwing by observing video and point-light models in adolescents with autism.
Method: The subjects included 45 adolescents with autism who were divided into video, point-light and control groups. The motor task included a Basketball shot in which the throwing scores (between 0 to 2) was measured as dependent variable. Subjects performed pre-test (including three trials), acquisition phase (including five 10-trials blocks), and retention-test (including three trials). The subjects in the observation groups observed respective display for five times before performing each block.
Results: The results showed that adolescents with autism who practiced observation performed significantly better on Basketball throw scores on the retention test than those who did not practice observation. Also, there was no significant difference between the video model groups and the point-light.
Conclusion: The results of this study show that people with autism benefit from watching video and pattern of point-light to learn a Basketball throwing skill. This result may indicate that these individuals have the mechanisms needed to learn new skills through video watching and pattern of point-light.