Promoting imitation in young children with autism: a comparison of reciprocal imitation training and video modeling.
Reciprocal imitation training and video modeling both lift imitation in preschool boys with autism and the gains last.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Six preschool boys with autism joined the study.
Each child got two imitation-teaching packages.
One package was reciprocal imitation training.
The other package was video modeling.
The team used a multiple-baseline design across kids.
They tracked if the boys copied actions during play.
They also checked if the skills stayed and spread to new toys.
What they found
Both packages raised imitation above baseline.
The gains stayed weeks later.
The boys also copied new toys they had never seen.
No single package beat the other.
How this fits with other research
Vanvuchelen et al. (2007) showed that motor issues, not thinking issues, drive most imitation trouble in autism.
That motor lens fits here: both packages give clear movement models.
MacDonald et al. (2015) went further and taught full observational learning, not just copying.
Their skill-by-skill plan helped kids learn by watching in many settings.
Sevlever et al. (2010) warned the field uses too many mixed definitions.
This study answers by picking one clear imitation code and sticking to it.
Why it matters
You now have two ready-to-use tools for preschool clients who rarely copy.
Pick the one that matches your staff and materials.
Short on hands? Show a video clip.
Have two adults free? Run reciprocal imitation play.
Either way, expect the skill to stay and show up with new toys.
Track it the same way each week so your data stay clean.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The inability to imitate is a salient diagnostic marker for autism. It has been suggested that for children with autism, imitation may be a prerequisite skill that can assist in the development of various skills. Using a multiple baseline design across subjects, the purpose of this research was to determine if two interventions, reciprocal imitation training and video modeling were effective in promoting imitation acquisition in young children with autism. Six boys were matched across various features (i.e., age, language, autism severity) and randomly placed in a treatment condition. Results indicated that all six participants increased their imitation skills to varying degrees in both conditions, and imitation maintained and generalized at higher than baseline levels post treatment.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2011 · doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1086-8