Validation of a skills assessment to match interventions to teach motor imitation to children with autism

Publication date: Available online 10 March 2017Source: Learning and MotivationAuthor(s): Amber L. Valentino, Linda A. LeBlanc, Kerry A. CondeAbstractMotor imitation skills are usually targeted early in intervention with children with autism. Some children readily acquire motor imitation targets that involve objects (e.g., pushing a toy car) but do not acquire targets without objects (e.g., clapping hands). The disparity in acquisition could occur for various reasons, including differences in attending when an object is present as opposed to when no object is present. It also is possible that the delay in imitation that is required when no object is present could contribute to the discrepancy. The purpose of this study was to validate the use a brief assessment of delayed imitation and attending skills to predict the effectiveness of interventions specifically designed to address the identified deficits. The assessment showed one child with autism had deficits in attending, and an intervention that included a salient stimulus produced the quickest acquisition. The second participant’s assessment did not show any deficits in attending, but showed deficits in delayed imitation. For this participant, the intervention designed to address deficits in delayed imitation (i.e., a secondary prompter) was most successful in establishing motor imitation responses.

Source: Learning and Motivation - July 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research