A newborn child can identify impressions by means of the sense organs with the help of "non-visible" sensory impressions such as tactile and kinesthetic. A communication arises early between different modalities and muscle activities, which make possible an early synchronization, and identity between the infant and its surroundings. Studies indicate that the infant is entirely dominated by sensory impressions through reciprocal coordination and muscular process. For development to occur, the infant's effort must be directed toward separating and identifying differing impressions and activities. Other research suggests that newborns can identify and imitate the movement of points of light on moving models. Imitation has been demonstrated in children less than 1 hour old, suggesting to some researchers that imitation and intermodality are congenital abilities. Furthermore, imitation can come to be anticipatory, in that imitation begins before the model has begun to conduct its model action. In this phase, the infant learns to recognize the situation in which the imitated model is acting and to produce the imitated action without a preceding model. Imitation has an impact on the infant's communicative development. (Seven figures and two tables of data are included; 33 references are attached.) (SG)