“Like father, like son.” Most children imitate the actions and behaviors of their parents as they are developing. Often young boys will imitate their fathers, and little girls will model actions after their mothers. Action imitation begins early for children and is essential to their growth and language development, according to a recent study published in the journal of Child Development.
The current study examined whether imitative actions at 18 months of age predicted language production at 36 months. Few scientific studies have investigated the correlation between action imitation and language development in children older than 2 years of age.
Researchers used a sample comprised of 42,517 typically developing children: 20,902 girls and 21,615 boys. A questionnaire measuring various aspects of communication, language, nonverbal and social skills was administered to the parents at 18 months and 36 months.
Subsequently, the findings showed a significant correlation between a child’s imitative actions at 1.5 years and language production at 3 years of age. Children that were delayed in early language comprehension were shown to have difficulties with later language development.
The overall findings conclude that a child’s poor imitative actions at 18 months are a significant non-verbal indicator for delays in language production. Language development delays can cause a child to become frustrated and angry because of their inability to properly communicate. Parents should be aware that language delays can affect a child’s emotional well-being and behavior.
Journal reference:
Zambrana, Imac M., Eivind Ystrom, Synnve Schjølberg, and Francisco Pons. 2013. “Action Imitation at 1½ Years Is Better Than Pointing Gesture in Predicting Late Development of Language Production at 3 Years of Age.” Child Development 84:560–573.
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