Intervention to Teach Motor Imitation to Children with Autis,

Principal Investigator:
Shante Rodgers

Faculty Advisor:
Daphna El Roy

Abstract:
Motor imitation refers to mimicking the movements of another person. People can mimic using an object or same part of their body. Imitation is a crucial aspect of development. Motor imitation allows children to learn things quickly by watching people around them. Children diagnosed with autism have difficulty with imitation, and there are various ways to teach it to them (Cardon & Wilcox, 2010). A literature search was conducted to identify effective interventions used to teach imitation to children with autism. Professionals who work at homes of children with autism providing ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) services were surveyed to determine which of the interventions from the literature were used by participants, and how effective they were rated to be. The survey results showed that 50% of the participants reported using object imitation with parents, 66.7% reported it was effective, and 16.7% reported it was very effective. 91% of participants reported using modeling the action. It was reported as effective by 66.3% and very effective by 27.3%. The results showed that 58.3 % of participants reported using video modeling with an iPad, 60% reported it was effective, and 20% reported it very effective. 75% of participants reported using video modeling with songs; it was rated effective by 55.6%, and 11.1% reported it as very effective.