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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
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Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Teaching children generalized imitation skills: a case report.
Freddy Jackson Brown1, Natalie Peace, Rachel Parsons
1North Bristol NHS Trust, UK.
Journal of Intellectual Disabilities : JOID
|April 1, 2009
Summary
Multiple exemplar training effectively taught generalized imitation skills to a child with severe intellectual disabilities. These learned imitation behaviors were maintained long-term, showing the procedure
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavior Analysis
- Special Education
Background:
- Generalized imitation is crucial for acquiring new skills, especially language and communication.
- Children with severe intellectual disabilities often face challenges in skill acquisition.
- Effective training methods are needed to foster imitation skills in this population.
Observation:
- A case report details teaching imitation to a 13-year-old child with severe intellectual disabilities.
- A multiple exemplar training procedure with errorless learning was employed.
- The child learned to imitate novel actions after exposure to seven exemplars.
Findings:
- The child achieved generalized imitation, successfully imitating novel actions.
- Acquired imitation skills demonstrated high maintenance at 6-week and 18-week follow-ups (90%).
- Multiple exemplar training facilitated the reliable emergence of generalized imitation.
Implications:
- This study supports the efficacy of multiple exemplar training for generalized imitation.
- Findings suggest potential for improving communication and activity skills through imitation.
- Further research can explore the role of generalized imitation in skill development.
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