Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT)
Reciprocal imitation training (RIT; Ingersoll and Gergans 2007) draws from naturalistic behavioral approaches such as IT, MT, and PRT to specifically teach imitation skills to children with ASD using contingent imitation (imitation of the child’s movements and vocalizations), linguistic mapping (narrating the child’s play), and imitation training (modeling actions, prompting, and reinforcement). Targeting imitation skills during an early intervention program may help children with ASD learn a wide range of other functional behaviors (Ingersoll 2010b; Schreibman 2005).