TITLE:
The Developmental Trajectory of Imitation in Infants with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Prospective Study
AUTHORS:
Wakako Sanefuji, Tomoka Yamamoto
KEYWORDS:
Imitation, Autism, Prospective Study, Infancy
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.5 No.11,
August
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: Impairments
in imitation are present in young children with autism spectrum disorders
(ASD), but the onset of these impairments is unknown. The present study
investigated the developmental trajectories affiliated with various types of
imitation. Imitative performances in infancy were observed in a prospective
design, and retrospectively compared between ASD and typically developing (TD)
infants. The results indicated that infants who later presented the symptoms of
ASD showed less imitation at 13 months of age, but not at 11 months. Both of TD
and ASD infants imitated more object manipulations than gestures and
meaningless movements, and gestures were more frequent than meaningless
movements. Imitation impairments in ASD appear to be delayed instead of being
atypical. Our findings can be used in assessments of ASD before 18 months of
age.