Imitation Therapy for Young Children with Autism

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on the limitation skills of infants who were later diagnosed with autism and on the enhancing effect of adult imitation on the social behavior of children with autism. Nadel had previously used an adaptation of the still-face paradigm to demonstrate that children with autism showed more expectant behaviors such as looking and touching an adult stranger after being imitated by that stranger. Our studies are then reviewed showing that children with autism respond more to imitative than contingently responsive adults. After repeated imitation sessions the children showed more distal social behaviors (looking, vocalizing) and proximal social behaviors (moving close to and touching adult). In another study children approached more imitative and playful adults. And, children with autism were more imitative with an imitative adult than with their parents. In the final study reviewed the children showed more joint attention behaviors following imitation including referential looking, gaze following and imitation. This literature suggests, then, that children with autism show more social and imitative behavior when they are imitated, highlighting the importance of imitation as an effective therapy for these children.