Imitation With Objects
Imitation with Objects
The easiest kind of imitation for most children is doing something with an object. This could be like tapping a spoon on a table, putting a block in a cup, taking a block out of a small box, rolling a toy car, or placing a hat on your head.
You can use any objects you have. If an object makes some noise, that can be useful. The noise can let the child know whether he’s imitating correctly. For example, you could tap the table or floor with a spoon, or put the spoon in a cup, or put a block in a cup. Start by saying “do this” then do one of the actions. Then use as much physical prompting as you need so the child imitates your action.
When you teach imitation with objects, you can use a single object that you handle first and then give to the child when it is his turn. Or you and the child can each hold your own object (like having one spoon for you and another one for him). In the next clip, the teacher is sharing one spoon with the child while working on imitation skills.
In the following clip, the same teacher is using two spoons, one for her and one for the child, to work on imitation skills. Watch how she teaches the child to imitate several different actions using the spoons.
Sometimes it is easier for both of you to have your own object. For example, if you’re tapping the table with a spoon, you can have your spoon in your hand while your child is beginning his turn. That way, you can continue to tap the table with the spoon. Or you can hold the spoon against the table to remind the child what he is supposed to do. Some children will be distracted by their own spoon. Then they won’t be able to pay attention to what you are doing. In this case, you will want to hand the child the spoon only after you have shown him what you want him to do with it. You can decide whether to start with just one object or with two objects; one for each of you. You can try it both ways and see which seems to work better with your child. Over time, your child should be able to imitate you either way, with two objects or just one.
For the first two actions you teach, it’s a good idea to use different objects for the two actions. For example, tapping a spoon as one action and putting a block into a cup for the other. This should help the child to understand because each action (tapping, putting in) has its own object. Over time the child should learn to use a single object in different ways by copying you. For example, your child should be able to tap the spoon on the table, tap the spoon against his hand, hold it up in the air high above his head, stir it in a cup or bowl, imitating whichever one you do, like the clip you just saw. Let’s watch that one again.
An interesting thing is that many children will use familiar objects only in the way they are used to. For example, when handed a spoon, your child may put it right to his mouth. That’s okay. Just prompt him to use it as you have shown. If he continues to bring the spoon to his mouth even after you’ve shown him several times to do something different, try using a stick or a ruler to tap the table. Or just try a different action. Remember, these are only suggestions. There are hundreds of different movements with objects that you could have your child imitate.
Teaching Imitation With More Than One Object
Here’s how to start. Place the three or four different objects, for example, a spoon, cup and block, where your child can easily see them and say, “Do this,” while you pick up the spoon and tap it on the table or put it into a cup. Then replace the object quickly so that your child can pick it up from the table as you did. On the very first trial, prompt him immediately to pick up the correct object (by putting your hand over his and helping him to pick it up, or by handing it to him) and help him to do the same thing you did with that object. Of course, if you have seen him imitate actions before, you can wait about two or three seconds to see if he will start to do it by himself. If he doesn’t, then prompt after 2 or 3 seconds has passed. Either way, reward him immediately for having done as you instructed. If he needed help, do a few more trials with an immediate prompt. Then, try again giving him time to respond by himself.
What to Do if Your Child is Distracted by the Objects in Front of Him
If your child seems to be distracted by the objects on the table in front of him, keep all the items near you but not within your child’s reach. Pick up one object and do an action with that object while saying, “do this,” and then immediately hand the child the object.
Present the Teaching Trials in an Unpredictable Order
This next point is really important. Be careful not to present the actions in a specific order. You should mix them up, so that your child won’t know what’s coming. For example, say you begin with two actions, tap spoon and block in cup. You start by presenting them by going back and forth (tap spoon, block in cup, tap spoon, block in cup, tap spoon, block in cup). In a short time, you child will probably figure out what’s coming next, without needing to pay attention to what you are doing. That would be like teaching the child to follow a pattern. But it’s not teaching him to imitate. Instead, you should mix things up so that the child will not know what’s coming next until you have performed the action. By presenting the actions in different orders, when the child imitates your action, you will know that he is really paying attention to you.
Fade Prompts Gradually
As we showed you before when teaching pointing, you should fade your prompts over time. Once the child is imitating an action with a physical prompt, gradually fade the prompt into just a gentle hint. The hint could be pointing or a gentle touch. Sometimes, just handing him the object will be a good enough prompt. Be sure to give enthusiastic praise and a reward for successful imitation even if your child needs prompts. If your child can imitate one of the actions but not the other, prompt only the one he has difficulty with. If you see that one of the actions is easier for your child to learn, fade your prompts for that action while still giving him the help he needs for the harder one.
How Will I Know When it’s Time to Add a New Action for My Child to Imitate?
Continue gradually fading your prompts until your child can imitate you all by himself. You will know your child has mastered imitating an action when you almost never need to prompt him to get him to imitate that action – as long as he’s paying attention, of course. And remember no child does something every time we ask them to! We say that when the child imitates your action 8 or 9 times out of every 10 tries, then he has learned to imitate those actions.
When your child has learned two actions, then you can add a third. Remember to change the position of the objects, and the objects themselves often, once your child can imitate actions with more than three objects. Each time you add a new action, you will probably need to prompt that action at first. This is true for most things that are new to your child.
You might have seen that the teacher didn’t give the child the instruction to “do this” on every single trial. When doing many trials of a teaching program in a row, you do not always need to give the instruction each time. If the child knows what you want him to do, it’s fine to do some trials in which the action itself is clear as an instruction.
Look for Signs of ‘Generalization’
As you add new actions, you may notice that your child needs fewer and fewer prompts when new actions are introduced. This is a very good thing. When this happens, it usually means that he is beginning to really get the idea of imitation. When a child really understands this, he will be able to imitate new actions with little or no specific training. Of course, he has to be physically able to perform the action you have modeled.
You should keep adding new actions until your child is successful at imitating most new actions you ask him to do, the first time and with no prompts. But remember – any time your child starts getting confused, give him plenty of prompts. If he still seems confused, drop back to something easier. It is very important that your child feels happy and comfortable in your learning sessions. “Nothing wins like success!”