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document
Brief report : imitation effects on children with autism . Twenty children with autism ( mean age , 5 years ) were recruited for the study from a school for children with autism . The children were randomly assigned to an imitation ( n = 10 ) or contingently responsive ( n = 10 ) interaction group based on a stratification table for gender and developmental and chronological age . The sessions consisted of four phases , with each phase lasting 3 minutes . In the first phase , the child walked into a room that was furnished with a sofa , a table , chairs , and two sets of identical toys . An adult was in the room sitting very still like a statue ( first still-face condition ) . In the second phase , the adult either imitated the child or was contingently responsive to the child . In the third phase , the adult sat still again ( second still-face condition ) , and in the fourth phase , the adult engaged in a spontaneous interaction . During the third phase ( the second still-face condition ) , the children in the imitation group spent less time in gross motor activity and more time touching the adult , as if attempting to initiate an interaction . The contingency condition appeared to be a more effective way to facilitate a distal social behavior ( attention ) , whereas the imitative condition was a more effective way to facilitate a proximal social behavior ( touching ) .
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Intervention_Educational
imitation
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Intervention_Educational
imitation
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Intervention_Educational
contingently responsive
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Intervention_Educational
contingently responsive
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Intervention_Educational
imitation
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Intervention_Educational
contingency
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Intervention_Educational
imitative
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Outcome_Mental
spent less time
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Outcome_Mental
more time touching the adult
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Outcome_Other
more effective
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Outcome_Mental
distal social behavior ( attention )
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Outcome_Other
more effective
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Outcome_Mental
proximal social behavior ( touching ) .
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Condition
autism
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Participant_Sample-size
Twenty
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Condition
autism
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Participant_Age
mean age , 5 years )
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Condition
autism