Object manipulation: an interactional strategy with autistic children.

The present research compared the effect of three play procedures upon the frequency and duration of object manipulation by six autistic children. The three interaction play procedures varied in the degree of similarity between the adult's and the child's performances. In procedure 1, the experimenter imitated the subject's movements with her duplicate object. In procedure 2, the experimenter performed a different movement with her duplicate object. In procedure 3, the experimenter performed a different action on a different object. The interaction procedure, in which the experimenter imitated both the material and the method of play chosen by the autistic child, resulted in greater frequency and duration of object manipulation.