Mirror Neurons

Mirror neurons are specific  nerve cells in the premotor cortex area of our brain. The mirror neuron system (MNS)  is known as a trimodal system that responds to motor, visual, and auditory stimuli.  These neurons specialize in  imitation learning, action understanding, action recognition, and action execution.  They were first discovered in brains of monkeys and recent research supports their presence in human brains too.

The MNS provides us a way of understanding actions performed by other people around us. It  responds to not only observation of a task, but also to an audio-visual representation of the task. It would fire when you hear the sound of ripping a paper or hammering a nail, and also fire when you read about these actions. The MNS allows children to learn by observation, as well as mapping other s’ actions onto their own actions and language. Therefore the MNS is involved in aspects of learning language, communication, and social skills. Researchers believe that children with autism have  dysfunctional mirror neurons.

Implications of the Mirror neuron system

Throughout  years of clinical experience, it has been my observation that children perform better in therapy when paired with another child.  Some activities such as climbing, jumping, pushing heavy loads etc.are best performed with a partner rather than one-on-one therapy. Mere presence of another child becomes a motivating factor for participation in therapeutic activities.

 My clinical assumption is that the mirror neuron system receives an opportunity for stimulation. However, the activities should be more or less structured and not overwhelm the child.

Children with ASD become socially isolated since they are not able to interact appropriately with peers  and/or they are shuffled between a range of activities.  Just like any other therapy, I would suggest parents to reserve some time for social interaction 1-2 times per week. You can start with inviting a playmate for your child  40-45 minutes at home or in a quiet park. Encourage sharing of toys, taking turns, eating a snack together. Social interaction plays a pivotal role in development of language, communication, imitation and  learning.