自閉症兒童的立即模仿與延遲模仿之研究

Immediate and Deferred Imitation in Children with Autism

本研究的目的在比較自閉症兒童（平均生理年齡40.67個月，平均心理年齡25.25個月）與發展遲緩兒童在立即模仿及延遲模仿的能力。修正Rogers等（2003）及Stone等（1997）的研究典範，採用四種作業評估立即模仿能力，包括：有意義的物體操弄，無意義的物體操弄，手勢動作模仿及嘴-臉部模仿。評估延遲模仿能力，則參考Meltzoff （1988a, 1988b）的方法實施。本研究的結果顯示，自閉症兒童在無意義物體的操弄模仿顯著落後於發展遲緩兒童，但是其他的模仿能力與發展遲緩兒童相當。這項結果與目前學界的發現有些不一致。後續研究宜擴大樣本數，修正並增加適當的題目，控制訓練因素效果，並使用適當的自閉症診斷工具等，以進一步澄清自閉症兒童模仿能力缺陷的特定性。

The purpose of this study was to compare the immediate and the deferred imitation abilities between children with autism (mean CA = 40.67months, mean MA = 25.25 months) and CA and MA matched children with developmental delay. Modified from Rogers, et al. (2003) and Stone, et al. (1997), four tasks were used for evaluating the immediate imitation abilities: objects employ meaningful action, objects employ nonmeaningful action, manual movement and oral-facial movement. For evaluating deferred imitation ability, three materials used by Meltzoff (1988a, 1988b) were adopted in the current study. In this study, the “deferred imitation” was tested 10 minutes after the presentation of the testing materials. The result revealed that children with autism were found to be significantly impaired in imitation of nonmeaningful action on objects, but the others are similar to the children with developmental delay. The findings were inconsistent with the former studies. The similarities and differences between this study and other studies are discussed. Further study needs to recruit more subjects, to modify and add some items, and to control the training effect and the severity of autistic symptoms.