https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ala-gln.html IMPORTANCE When a neonate's sucking, swallowing, and breathing are disorganized, oropharyngeal aspiration often occurs and results in illness, developmental problems, and even death. Occupational therapists who work in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) need to identify neonates who are at risk for aspirating so they can provide appropriate treatment. OBJECTIVE To ascertain whether client factors and performance skills of infants ages 0-6 mo during occupational therapy feeding evaluations are related to results of videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSSs). DESIGN Retrospective chart reviews. SETTING 187-bed NICU in a nonprofit teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS A purposive sample of 334 infants ages 0-6 mo, ≥33 wk gestational age at birth, admitted to a Level II, III, or IV NICU as defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Neonates were administered a feeding evaluation by an occupational therapist and a VFSS by a speech-language pathologist, which yielded information about clifor preterm infants. Copyright © 2020 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.IMPORTANCE Finding strategies to enhance imitation skills in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is of major clinical relevance. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether contact with dogs may be a useful approach to elicit spontaneous imitation in people with ASD. DESIGN Participants completed a spontaneous imitation task under three experimental conditions after a free-play interaction with a live dog, after a free-play interaction with a robotic dog, and after a waiting period that involved no stimuli. PARTICIPANTS Ten children and 15 adults diagnosed with severe ASD. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Imitation ratio, imitation accuracy, and indicators of social motivation. RESULTS Children appeared more motivated and engaged more frequently in spontaneous imitation in the live dog condition than in the other conditions. No differences