Look at Me Now!®- A New Face for Autism Treatment
Using face-replacement technology, Look at Me Now!®, LLC (www.lookatmenow.org) offers a one-stop solution for many of the daily challenges facing children with Autism and their families. In response to the increasing diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorders and the resulting strain on resources, the Maine-based company is making evidence-based interventions completely accessible and affordable to parents and professionals, online. Research supports Video Modeling techniques and proves that children with Autism who watch themselves successfully manage the previously impossible situation are able to translate it into reality. Look at me now!® offers customizable/personalized movies for children with Autism and related disorders. These movies, starring the child himself or herself, are known in the field as Video Self Model (VSM) movies and are widely supported in research. These movies are used in school and home settings by parents, teachers and professionals. The positive outcomes and changes these movies can produce are astonishing. In the past, parents and clinicians had to make these movies by doing all of the work; "setting the stage," filming, editing, and narrating to create a final product. Now, by simply submitting a photo via the company's secure website(www.lookatmenow.org), users can create a short video depicting the child from the photo engaged in an activity of daily living or an age appropriate skill. The short movie captures the sights and sounds associated with the activity and children see themselves completing the tasks errorlessly and with enjoyment. Look at Me Now!® was founded by Laura Casey who has more than 14 years of experience in the field of Autism Intervention. Ms. Casey holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education and has worked with hundreds of children and families in meeting the challenges of Autism. Ms. Casey has researched, published and presented on the subject of Autism and Early Intervention. Parents who have used the face-replacement software and resulting videos provide high marks. Amy Hayes, of Ellsworth, Maine says, "Until we found Look at Me Now!® movies, we had never seen such clear results. After viewing his movie, Anderson's therapist, myself and my daughter sat and watched the "movie" replay with amazement. He did a fantastic job- better than ever before! There were no tears, no pulling away, no kicking or screaming. He was so proud of himself and so are we!" Prior to his movie about having his nails cut, Anderson had worked on this skill for 2 years with his occupational therapy. Within 3 viewings of his movie, the behavior change was remarkable!
"The promising practice of video self-modeling is finally available to the masses in an affordable and easy-to-use manner," said Dr. Tom Buggey, author of "Seeing is Believing: Video Self-Modeling for People with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities," and an adviser to the company. "It is hard to imagine a project that would offer more promise than Look at Me Now! does to children with Autism and their families."
