The Imitation of Gestures

Book excerpt: The Imitation of Gestures describes the sets of tests of the imitation of gestures in children performed by the examiner. These tests provide valuable information about the development of motor skills, particularly the right-left orientation in children from 4 to 8 years of age. This book is composed of two main sections encompassing 9 chapters. Part I presents the methods for studying the imitation of simple and complex gestures of the hands and arms. This part also covers the application of these methods to children who would be likely to have disturbances in motor and verbal development. The second part describes the supplementary tests to the Imitation of gestures test used for the study of body image. This part also deals with the intercorrelations between the results obtained on the different tests, namely, the Imitation of gestures, Drawn-a-man test, Grace Arthur mannequin puzzle, and the verbal test of naming and pointing to the body parts. Pediatricians, neurologists, and clinical psychologists will find this book rewarding.