title: Exploring the relationship between gestural recognition and imitation: evidence of dyspraxia in autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: In this study, the relationship between gesture recognition and imitation was explored. Nineteen individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were compared to a control group of 23 typically developing children on their ability to imitate and recognize three gesture types (transitive, intransitive, and pantomimes). The ASD group performed more poorly than controls on all tasks of recognition and imitation. Higher performance on tests of working memory was associated with increased odds of successful imitation in both groups. Group differences remained even when working memory was statistically controlled for. An association was revealed in the ASD group between pantomime recognition and imitation but a similar association was not identified for intransitive gestures suggesting that recognition alone is not sufficient for imitation success.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, EH8 9JZ, Edinburgh, UK. heidi.ham@ed.ac.uk
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stieglitz Ham
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bartolo
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corley
authors.forename: Gnanathusharan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rajendran
authors.forename: Aniko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Swanson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001072:Apraxias / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
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