The Developmental Trajectory of Imitation in Infants with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Prospective Study

Wakako Sanefuji, Tomoka Yamamoto

Faculty of Human-Environmental Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Molecular Research Center for Children’s Mental Development, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2014.511142                

Abstract

Impairments in imitation are present in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but the onset of these impairments is unknown. The present study investigated the developmental trajectories affiliated with various types of imitation. Imitative performances in infancy were observed in a prospective design, and retrospectively compared between ASD and typically developing (TD) infants. The results indicated that infants who later presented the symptoms of ASD showed less imitation at 13 months of age, but not at 11 months. Both of TD and ASD infants imitated more object manipulations than gestures and meaningless movements, and gestures were more frequent than meaningless movements. Imitation impairments in ASD appear to be delayed instead of being atypical. Our findings can be used in assessments of ASD before 18 months of age.

Keywords

Imitation, Autism, Prospective Study, Infancy

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Abravanel, E., Levan-Goldschmidt, E., & Stevenson, M. B. (1976). Action Imitation: The Early Phase of Infancy. Child Development, 47, 1032-1044. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1976.tb02284.x
[2]	Aldridge, M. A., Stone, K. R., Sweeney, M. H., & Bower, T. G. R. (2000). Preverbal Children with Autism Understand the Intentions of Others. Developmental Science, 3, 294-301. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-7687.00123
[3]	American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/713755872
[4]	Bekkering, H., Wohlschlager, A., & Gattis, M. (2000). Imitation of Gestures in Children Is Goal-directed. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A: Human Experimental Psychology, 53, 153-164. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/027249800390718
[5]	Charman, T., & Baron-Cohen, S. (1994). Another Look at Imitation in Autism. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 403-413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400006015
[6]	Chawarska, K., Klin, A., Paul, R., & Volkmar, F. (2007). Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Second Year: Stability and Change in Syndrome Expression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48, 128-138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01685.x
[7]	Colombi, C., Vivanti, G., & Rogers, S. J. (2011). Imitation in ASD. In D. Fein (Ed.), The Neuropsychology of Autism (pp. 243-266). New York: Oxford University Press.
[8]	Hobson, R. P., & Lee, A. (1999). Imitation and Identification in Autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 649-659. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.00481
[9]	Kaye, K., & Marcus, J. (1981). Infant Imitation: The Sensory-Motor Agenda. Developmental Psychology, 17, 258-265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.17.3.258
[10]	Kleinman, J. M., Ventola, P. E., Pandey, J., Verbalis, A. D., Barton, M., Hodgson, S. et al. (2008). Diagnostic Stability in Very Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 606-615. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0427-8
[11]	Kuczynski, L., Zahn-Waxler, C., & Radke-Yarrow, M. (1987). Development and Content of Imitation in the Second and Third Years of Life: A Socialization Perspective. Developmental Psychology, 23, 276-282. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.23.2.276
[12]	Landa, R. J., Gross, A. L., Stuart, E. A., & Faherty, A. (2013). Developmental Trajectories in Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders: The First 3 Years. Child Development, 84, 429-442. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01870.x
[13]	Lord, C., Rutter, M., Di Lavore, P., & Risi, S. (1999). Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.
[14]	McCabe, M., & Uzgiris, I. C. (1983). Effects of Model and Action on Imitation in Infancy. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 29, 69-82.
[15]	Meltzoff, A. N. (1988a). Infant Imitation and Memory: Nine-Month-Olds in Immediate and Deferred Tests. Child Development, 59, 217-225. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1988.tb03210.x
[16]	Meltzoff, A. N. (1988b). Infant Imitation after a 1-Week Delay: Long-Term Memory for Novel Acts and Multiple Stimuli. Developmental Psychology, 24, 470-476. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.24.4.470
[17]	Nadel, J., Guerini, C., Peze, A., & Rivet, C. (1999). The Evolving Nature of Imitation as a Format for Communication. In J. Nadel, & G. Butterworth (Eds.), Imitation in Infancy (pp. 209-234). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[18]	Ornitz, E. M., Guthrie, D., & Farley, A. H. (1977). The Early Development of Autistic Children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 7, 207-229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01538999
[19]	Receveur, C., Lenoir, P., Desombre, H., Roux, S., Barthelemy, C., & Malvy, J. (2005). Interaction and Imitation Deficits from Infancy to 4 Years of Age in Children with Autism. Autism, 9, 69-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361305049030
[20]	Rogdon, M. M., & Kurdek, L. (1977). Vocal and Gestural Imitation in 8-, 14-, and 20-Month-Old Children. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 131, 115-123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00221325.1977.10533280
[21]	Rogers, S. (1998). Empirically Supported Comprehensive Treatments for Young Children with Autism. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27, 168-179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp2702_4
[22]	Rogers, S. J., Cook, I., & Meryl, A. (2005). Imitation and Play in Autism. In F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, & D. Cohen (Eds.), Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (pp. 382-405). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
[23]	Rogers, S. J., Hepburn, S. L., Stackhouse, T., & Wehner, E. (2003). Imitation Performance in Toddlers with Autism and Those with Other Developmental Disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44, 763-781. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.00162
[24]	Rogers, S. J., & Pennington, B. F. (1991). A Theoretical Approach to the Deficits in Infantile Autism. Development and Psychopathology, 3, 137-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400000043
[25]	Rogers, S. J., & Williams, J. G. (2006). Imitation and the Social Mind: Autism and Typical Development. New York: The Guilford Press.
[26]	Shattuck, P. T., Durkin, M., Maenner, M., Newschaffer, C., Mandell, D. S., Wiggins, L. et al. (2009). Timing of Identification among Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings from a Population-Based Surveillance Study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48, 474-483. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b013e31819b3848
[27]	Siegel, B., Pliner, C., Eschler, J., & Elliot, G. R. (1988). How Children with Autism are Diagnosed: Difficulties in Identification of Children with Multiple Developmental Delays. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 9, 199-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00004703-198808000-00004
[28]	Smith, I. M., & Bryson, S. E. (1994). Imitation and Action in Autism: A Critical Review. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 259-273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.116.2.259
[29]	Smith, I. M., & Bryson, S. E. (2007). Gesture Imitation in Autism: II. Symbolic Gestures and Pantomimed Object Use. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 24, 679-700. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02643290701669703
[30]	Stern, D. N. (1985). The Interpersonal World of the Human Infant. New York: Basic Books.
[31]	Stone, W. L., Lemanek, K. L., Fishel, P. T., Fernandez, M. C., & Altemeier, W. A. (1990). Play and Imitation Skills in the Diagnosis of Autism in Young Children. Pediatrics, 86, 267-272.
[32]	Uzgiris, I. C. (1981). Two Functions of Imitation during Infancy. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 4, 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/016502548100400101
[33]	Vanvuchelen, M., Roeyers, H., & De Weerdt, W. (2011). Imitation Assessment and Its Utility to the Diagnosis of Autism: Evidence from Consecutive Clinical Preschool Referrals for Suspected Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41, 484-496. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-1074-z
[34]	Volkmar, F., Chawarska, K., & Klin, A. (2005). Autism in Infancy and Early Childhood. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 315-336. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070159
[35]	Williams, J. H. G., Whiten, A., & Singh, T. (2004). A Systematic Review of Action Imitation in Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, 285-299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:JADD.0000029551.56735.3a
[36]	Young, G. S., Rogers, S. J., Hutman, T., Rozga, A., Sigman, M., & Ozonoff, S. (2011). Imitation from 12 to 24 Months in Autism and Typical Development: A Longitudinal Rasch Analysis. Developmental Psychology, 47, 1565-1578. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0025418