Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Teaching Reciprocal Imitation Skills to Young Children with Autism Using a Naturalistic Behavioral Approach: Effects on Language, Pretend Play, and Joint Attention

  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Children with autism exhibit significant deficits in imitation skills which impede the acquisition of more complex behaviors and socialization, and are thus an important focus of early intervention programs for children with autism. This study used a multiple-baseline design across five young children with autism to assess the benefit of a naturalistic behavioral technique for teaching object imitation. Participants increased their imitation skills and generalized these skills to novel environments. In addition, participants exhibited increases in other social-communicative behaviors, including language, pretend play, and joint attention. These results provide support for the effectiveness of a naturalistic behavioral intervention for teaching imitation and offer a new and potentially important treatment option for young children who exhibit deficits in social-communicative behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association., (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 4 American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC text revision

    Google Scholar 

  • Baer D. M., Peterson R. F., Sherman J. A., (1967). The development of imitation by reinforcing behavioral similarity to a model Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 10: 405–416

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bates E., Bretherton I., Snyder L., Beeghly M., Shore C., McNew S., Carlson V., Williamson C., Garrison A., (1988). From first words to grammar: Individual differences and dissociable mechanisms Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayley N., (1993). Bayley scales of infant development 2 Harcourt Brace & Company, San Antonio, TX

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter M., Nagell K., Tomasello M., (1998). Social cognition, joint attention, and communicative competence from 9 to 15 months of age Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 63: 176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter M., Pennington B. E., Rogers S. J., (2002). Interrelations among social-cognitive skills in young children with autism Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 32: 91–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carr E.G., (1981). Sign language. In: Lovaas O. I., Ackerman A., Alexander D., Firestone P., Perkins M., Egel A. L., (eds). The me book: Teaching manual for parents and teachers of developmentally disabled children. University Park Press, Baltimore, pp. 153–161

    Google Scholar 

  • Charlop-Christy M. H., Carpenter M., (2000). Modified incidental teaching sessions: A procedure for parents to increase spontaneous speech in their children with autism Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions 2: 98–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curcio F., (1978). Sensorimotor functioning and communication in mute autistic children Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia 8: 281–292

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson G., Galpert L., (1990). Mothers’ use of imitative play for the facilitation of social responsiveness and toy play in young autistic children Development and Psychopathology 2: 151–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Eckerman C., Didow S., (1996). Nonverbal imitation and toddlers’ mastery of verbal means of achieving coordinated action Developmental Psychology 32: 141–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eckerman C. O., Stein M., (1990). How imitation begets imitation and toddlers’ generation of games Developmental Psychology 26: 370–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fenson L., Dale P., Reznick S., Thal D., Bates E., Hartung J., Pethick S., Reilly J., (1993). MacArthur communicative development inventory Singular Publishing Group Inc, San Diego, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiese B., (1990). Playful relationships: A contextual analysis of mother-toddler interaction and symbolic play Child Development 61: 1648–1656

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gazdag G., Warren S. F., (2000). Effects of adult contingent imitation on development of young children’s vocal imitation Journal of Early Intervention 23: 24–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gliner J. A., Morgan G. A., Harmon R. J., (2000). Single-subject designs Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 39: 1327–1329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Good P., (2000). Permutation tests: A practical guide to resampling methods for testing hypotheses 2 Springer-Verlag, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris S. L., Handleman J. S., Fong P. L., (1987). Imitation of self-stimulation: Impact on the autistic child’s behavior and affect Child & Family Behavior Therapy 9: 1–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hersen M., Barlow D. H., (1976). Single case experimental designs: Strategies for studying behavior change Pergamon, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingersoll B., Schreibman L., Tran Q., (2003). The effect of sensory feedback on immediate object imitation in children with autism Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 33: 673–683

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser A. P., Yoder P. J., Keetz A., (1992). Evaluating mileu teaching. In: Warren S.F., Reichle J., (eds). Causes and effects in communication and language intervention. Paul Brooks Publishing Co, Baltimore MD, pp. 9–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinger L. G., Dawson G., (1992). Facilitating early social and communicative development in children with autism In: Warren S. F., Reichle J. E., (eds). Causes and effects in communication and language intervention. Paul H. Brookes Publishing , Baltimore, MD, US, pp. 157–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Koegel R. L., Koegel L. K., (eds.), (1995) Teaching children with autism: Strategies for initiating positive interactions and improving learning opportunities Paul H. Brooks Publishing Co, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Koegel R. L., O’Dell M. C., Koegel L. K., (1987). A natural language teaching paradigm for nonverbal autistic children Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 17: 187–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koegel R. L., Schreibman L., Good A., Cerniglia L., Murphy C., Koegel L., (1989). How to teach pivotal behaviors to children with autism: A training manual University of California, Santa Barbara

    Google Scholar 

  • Leaf R., McEachin J., (1999). A work in progress: Behavior management strategies and a curriculum for intensive behavioral treatment of autism DRL Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewy A. L., Dawson G., (1992). Social stimulation and joint attention in young autistic children Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 20: 555–566

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord C., Risi S., Lambrecht L., Cook E. H. Jr., Leventhal B. L., DiLavore P. C., Pickles A., Rutter M., (2000). The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 30: 205–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovaas O. I., (1977). The autistic child: Language development through behavior modification Irvington, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovaas O. I., (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology 55: 3–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovaas O. I., Berberich J. P., Perloff B. F., Schaeffer B., (1966). Acquisition of imitative speech by schizophrenic children Science 151: 705–707

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lovaas O. I., Freitas K., Nelson K, Whalen C., (1967). The establishment of imitation and its use for the development of complex behavior in schizophrenic children Behaviour Research and Therapy 5: 171–182

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loveland K., Landry S., (1986). Joint attention and language in autism and developmental language delay Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 16: 335–349

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maurice C., Green G., Luce S. C., (eds), (1996). Behavioral intervention for young children with autism: A manual for parents and professionals. PRO-ED Inc, Austin, TX, US

    Google Scholar 

  • Meltzoff A. N., Gopnik A., (1994). The role of imitation in understanding persons and developing a theory of mind In: Baron-Cohen S., Tager-Flusberg H., Cohen D., (eds). Understanding other minds; Perspectives from autism. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 335–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Meltzoff A. N., Moore M. K., (1977). Imitation of facial and manual gestures by human neonates Science 198: 75–78

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Metz J. R., (1965). Conditioning generalized imitation in autistic children Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 4: 389–399

    Google Scholar 

  • Miranda-Linne F., Melin L., (1992). Acquisition, generalization, and spontaneous use of color adjectives: A comparison of incidental teaching and traditional discrete-trial procedures for children with autism Research in Developmental Disabilities 13: 191–210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mundy P., (1995). Joint attention and social-emotional approach behavior in children with autism Development & Psychopathology 7: 63–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadel J., Peze A., (1993). What makes immediate imitation communicative in toddlers and autistic children In: Nadel J., Camaioni L., (eds). New perspectives in early communicative development. Routledge, New York, pp. 139–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Pierce K., Schreibman L., (1995). Increasing complex social behaviors in children with autism: Effects of peer-implemented pivotal response training Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 28: 285–295

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rocha, M., Sherer, M., Parades, S., & Schreibman L. (1999). The progression of joint attention behaviors in children with autism. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Chicago, IL

  • Rogers S., (1999). An examination of the imitation deficit in autism In: Nadel J., Butterworth G., (eds). Imitation in infancy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 254–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers S., Bennetto L., (2000). Intersubjectivity in autism: The roles of imitation and executive function. In: Wetherby A., Prizant B., (eds). Autism spectrum disorders: A transactional developmental perspective. Paul H. Brookes, Baltimore MD, pp. 79–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers S., Pennington B., (1991). A theoretical approach to the deficits in infantile autism Developmental Psychology 3: 137–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schopler E., Reichler R. J., DeVellis R. F., Daly K., (1980). Toward objective classification of childhood autism: Childhood Autism Rating Scale, (CARS) Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 10: 91–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schreibman L., Kaneko W. M., Koegel R. L., (1991). Positive affect of parents of autistic children: A comparison across two teaching techniques Behavior Therapy 22: 479–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schreibman L., Koegel R. L., Mills J. I., Burke J. C., (1981). Social validation of behavior therapy with autistic children Behavior Therapy 12: 610–624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz I. S., Anderson S. R., Halle J. W., (1989). Training teachers to use naturalistic time delay: Effects on teacher behavior and on the language use of students Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps 14: 48–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith I., Bryson S., (1994). Imitation and action in autism: A critical review Psychological Bulletin 116: 259–273

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spradlin J. E., Siegel G. M., (1982). Language training in natural and clinical environments Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders 47: 2–6

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stahmer A. C., (1995). Teaching symbolic play skills to children with autism using pivotal response training Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 25: 123–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone W., Ousley O., Littleford C., (1997). Motor imitation in young children with autism: What’s the object? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 25: 475–485

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stone W. L., Yoder P. J., (2001). Predicting spoken language level in children with autism spectrum disorders Autism 5: 341–361

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thorp D. M., Stahmer A. C., Schreibman L., (1995). Effects of sociodramatic play training on children with autism Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 25: 265–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiegerman E., Primavera L., (1981). Object manipulation: An interactional strategy with autistic children Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders 11: 427–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiegerman E., Primavera L., (1984). Imitating the autistic child: Facilitating communicative gaze behavior Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 14: 27–38

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tryon A. S., Keane S. P., (1986). Promoting imitative play through generalized observational learning in autistic-like children Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 14: 537–549

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Uzgiris I., (1990). The social context of infant imitation In: Lewis M., Feinman S., (eds). Social influences and socialization in infancy. Plenum Press, New York, pp. 215–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Wampold B. E., Worsham N. L., (1986). Randomization tests for multiple-baseline designs Behavioral Assessment 8: 135–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren S. F., Yoder P. J., Gazdag G. E., Kim K., (1993). Facilitating prelinguistic communication skills in young children with developmental delay Journal of Speech & Hearing Research 36: 83–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Whalen, C., Schreibman, L., & Ingersoll, B. (in press). The collateral effects of joint attention training on social initiations, positive affect, imitation, and spontaneous speech for young children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

  • Whalen C. M., Schreibman L., (2003). Joint attention training for children with autism using behavior modification procedures Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 44: 456–468

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yoder P. J., Kaiser A. P., Goldstein H., Alpert C., (1995). An exploratory comparison of milieu teaching and responsive interaction in classroom applications Journal of Early Intervention 19: 218–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young J. M., Krantz P. J., McClannahan L. E., Poulson C. L., (1994). Generalized imitation and response-class formation in children with autism Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 27: 685–697

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the M.I.N.D. Institute Scholars Program and an APA Dissertation Research Award to the first author. We are grateful to the children and their families who participated in this research and the undergraduate research assistants who helped with this project. We also appreciate Mark Becker for his assistance with the statistical programming.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Brooke Ingersoll

    Present address: Department of Psychology, Lewis and Clark College, 0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd, Portland, Oregon, 97219, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Brooke Ingersoll & Laura Schreibman

Authors
  1. Brooke Ingersoll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Laura Schreibman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brooke Ingersoll.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ingersoll, B., Schreibman, L. Teaching Reciprocal Imitation Skills to Young Children with Autism Using a Naturalistic Behavioral Approach: Effects on Language, Pretend Play, and Joint Attention. J Autism Dev Disord 36, 487–505 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0089-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0089-y

KEY WORDS:

Search

Navigation