The effect of contingent imitation intervention on children with autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring intellectual disabilities

摘要

Background: Imitation plays a crucial role in the development of social communication, and it is a skill that is often missing in children with autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring intellectual disabilities. Contingent imitation (CI) results in increased social eye gaze, an imitation cue for children with ASD. A series of studies on Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT) intervention that included CI has demonstrated an increase in imitation frequency. However, little is known about CI intervention's effects on motor, object, and vocal imitation accuracy in children with ASD-ID.