Hello, friends!
Today I’d like to share an interesting article about the connection between imitation skills and social communication in children with autism. The study was published in Molecular Autism in 2025 by Shihua Xiao and Jing Li from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The researchers explored not only the importance of imitation skills, but also the effectiveness of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) in developing those skills.
(Title: “Impact of imitation abilities on social communication in autistic children: evidence from an Early Start Denver Model intervention study”)
Imitation plays a crucial role in early social development, yet many autistic children show delays in this field, which may affect their ability to learn social behaviors.
About the study:
The study involved 52 children aged 2 to 5 years, all diagnosed with autism. It lasted 12 weeks: data was collected before and after a 10-week intervention.
The children were divided into two groups:
Experimental group (28 children, average age 36.3 ± 9 months) — received ESDM-based intervention
Control group (24 children, average age 45.8 ± 9 months) — received standard interventions commonly used in China.
The age difference reflects the fact that ESDM is primarily used for early intervention.
Assessment tools included:
- Motor Imitation Scale (MIS) — for general motor imitation
- Preschool Imitation and Praxis Scale (PIPS) — for sequential and oral-facial imitation
- Vocal imitation — based on Rogers et al. (2003)
- Social communication — measured using the ESDM curriculum checklist
Each group received about 100 hours of intervention.
Activities:
In the ESDM group, sessions were play-based and centered around the child’s interests (e.g., building blocks, singing, dancing, pretend play).
The control group followed more traditional methods like cognitive training, speech therapy, sensory integration, and structured social play.
Key findings:
Vocal imitation showed a strong link with expressive language. Supporting this field could help improve speech development.
Gestural imitation correlated with nonverbal social skills — especially important for children with limited verbal expression.
Object-based imitation was strongly connected to joint attention, which is essential for social interaction.
Group results:
The ESDM group showed significant improvements in all imitation skills except vocal imitation. Both groups improved in social communication, though gains in the ESDM group were slightly greater but not statistically significant — possibly due to the age difference between the groups.
I found this article especially helpful because it highlights tasks we can focus on in everyday sessions to address specific developmental gaps. Even the finding that ESDM didn’t lead to significantly better social communication outcomes is important — it reminds us that a balanced approach is necessary, especially when access to certified specialists is limited.
The fact that ESDM led to stronger imitation skills gives us hope that it could yield greater results in longer-term studies.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. See you again soon!
