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Brief Report: Imitation of Object-Directed Acts in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) imitate less than typically developing (TD) children; however, the specific features and causes of this deficit are still unclear. The current study investigates the role of joint engagement, specifically children’s visual attention to demonstrations, in an object-directed imitation task. This sample was recruited from an early ASD screening study, which allows for an examination of these behaviors prior to formal diagnosis and ASD-specific intervention. Children with ASD imitated less than TD children; children with other developmental delays showed no significant difference from the two other screen-positive groups. Additionally, only the ASD group showed decreased visual attention, suggesting that early visual attention plays a role in the social learning of children with ASD.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. Nonparametric analyses revealed the same findings. A Kruskal–Wallis test showed a significant difference among groups in total imitation scores, χ2(3) = 16.36, p = .001. Subsequent Mann–Whitney U pairwise comparisons revealed that the TD group imitated significantly more overall than the DD group (p = .002) and ASD group (p = .002), but not the TD-SP group (p = .135). The TD-SP group imitated significantly more than the ASD group (p = .022), but not the DD group (p = .082). There was no significant difference in overall imitation between the DD and ASD groups (p = .127).

    A Friedman test revealed significant differences in the frequency of completion of Acts 1-4, χ2(3) = 51.21, p < .001. Subsequent Wilcoxon-signed ranks tests revealed that, across groups, Act 4 was completed more frequently than the three other acts (p’s < .001). Additionally, Act 2 was completed more frequently than Act 3 (p = .020)

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grant # HD039961 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, grant # 8368 from Autism Speaks, and the Georgia State University Second Century Initiative in Primate Social Cognition, Evolution, and Behavior (2CI-PSCEB). We would like to thank the members of the early detection project team at Georgia State University, especially Karís Casagrande and Kiauhna Haynes for assistance with data management. We also thank the families and children who participated in our study sessions.

Author Contributions

AG participated in the conception and coordination of the study, analyzed and interpreted data, and helped draft the manuscript; RAW conceived the study and its design, participated in data analyses and interpretation, and helped draft the manuscript; DLR participated in conception and coordination of the study, acquired clinical data, and helped draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. Diana L. Robins

    Present address: A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street, Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, P. O. Box 5010, Atlanta, GA, 30302, USA

    Anna Gonsiorowski, Rebecca A. Williamson & Diana L. Robins

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  1. Anna Gonsiorowski
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Correspondence to Anna Gonsiorowski.

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Conflict of interest

Anna Gonsiorowski and Rebecca A. Williamson declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Diana L. Robins is a co-owner of M-CHAT LLC which receives royalties for commercial products that incorporate the M-CHAT-R/F.

Ethical Standards

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Georgia State University and was therefore performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. All parents and guardians provided informed consent prior to children’s inclusion in the study.

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Gonsiorowski, A., Williamson, R.A. & Robins, D.L. Brief Report: Imitation of Object-Directed Acts in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 691–697 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2596-1

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