UQ psychologists are working on new research which one day may improve the social and communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Dr Mark Nielsen and Associate Professor Virginia Slaughter, of the School of Psychology, have been awarded an $8000 research grant from The APEX Foundation to examine the cognitive and social development of young children with ASD.
�Our aim is to determine if the tendency of children with ASD to engage in social forms of imitation differs to that of typically developing children,� Dr Nielsen said.
�If it does, we can then look at ways of encouraging this behaviour in children with ASD, with a view to improving their communicative and interaction skills.�
Copying or imitating others is a central element of young children�s development. When doing what others do, children learn about how the world works.
According to Dr Nielsen, studies show that children with ASD (which includes classic autism, Asperger syndrome and atypical autism) are less inclined than typically-developing children to copy others for purely social reasons (e.g., to communicate, or to show that they like others).
�Even though we are often not aware of it, we copy others to show that we are like them and in order to be liked by them," Dr Nielsen said.
"Imitating for this reason underscores many of our social interactions and helps bind us together�.
�We know that typically developing children show this socially driven interest in imitating others from around two years of age.
"But we don�t know if children with ASD, who are often thought to have social deficits, also show such interest."
The research project will conduct studies with children aged between t two and five. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The APEX Foundation specifically funds research into autism.
Media: Dr Mark Nielsen on 3365 6805 or nielsen@psy.uq.edu.au
