Development of Motor Imitation in Children with Mental Retardation : A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Abstract

This study is one of a series attempting to clarify the problems of motor development in children with mental retardation, in the general context of studying children's motor functions in relation to various other functions. The present research used a cross-sectional design in an attempt to analyze the development of the ability to imitate others' movements. Imitation of movements varying in several dimensions was systematically investigated, and the basic ability to imitate others' movements was examined. Subjects were 35 children with mental retardation enrolled in elementary and junior high school classes for children with disabilities. All children were given the Kyoto Child Guidance Clinic Infant Development Test. The children's developmental stages as measured on that test ranged from the one-dimensional operational stage to the three-dimensional operational stage. A test of imitating others' movements was then administered to all the subjects. The poses and gestures to be imitated varied on two dimensions: (a) movements were in a plane either parallel or perpendicular to the subject's field of vision, and (b) movements were either symmetrical or asymmetrical. Results were as follows: 1. The ability to imitate others' movements was more advanced in the children in the higher developmental stages compared to those in the lower ones. 2. On the other hand, there were differences across developmental stages in the ability to imitate the various types of movements that were included in the test. On the basis of these results, it can be assumed that there is a definite sequence in the development of the ability to imitate others' movements.