Imitation in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

AbstractImitation plays a central role in social and cognitive development. A substantial number of studies have documented differences in the way individuals with autism imitate others. These differences include a reduced frequency of spontaneous imitation and a diminished accuracy of imitative performance. Abnormalities are more pronounced with imitation tasks involving actions that are unfamiliar and do not have a clear goal. Moreover, imitation performance appears to decrease as the social‐processing and motor demands in the task increase. The nature, causes, and treatment of imitation differences in ASD are discussed.