Praxis on verbal command and imitation

Nondysfunctional 4-year-old and 6-year-old children were administered the Praxis on Verbal Command subtest of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT) (Ayres, 1989) under two conditions. One condition was administered in the standardized manner on verbal command; the other involved administration of the same items on imitation. An analysis of variance indicated that the variables of age and condition were significant, whereas sex was not significant. The Age x Condition interaction was also significant. Scheffé multiple comparisons revealed a significant difference between 4-year-olds and 6-year-olds on verbal command but not on imitation. Verbal-command scores were significantly lower than imitation scores for the 4-year-olds but not for the 6-year-olds.