Author(s)

A. J. Astell, M. P. Ellis

ISBN

1522-7227

Publication year

2006

Periodical

Infant and Child Development

Periodical Number

3

Volume

15

Pages

311-319

Author Address

Full version

We report the case of Jessie, an individual with severe Alzheimer’s disease. Over two sessions, we examine Jessie’s spontaneous conversation behaviour and urge to communicate using the ‘still face’ paradigm. Spontaneous and deliberate imitation are also examined to identify their importance in social interactions in severe dementia. Although Jessie has difficulty producing meaningful conversation, she retains the urge to communicate and participate in social interactions. These results confirm the importance of imitation in facilitating and maintaining people with communication problems in the social world. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.