Mothers' Social Communicative Adjustments to Young Children With Mild Developmental Delays

Abstract

The social communication and compliance patterns of 63 mothers interacting with their young children who had mild developmental delays in social play and instructional tasks were examined in a longitudinal study. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that mothers appropriately adjust their social communications in accordance with children's developmental characteristics and task demands. The extent of scaffolding specificity that mothers used in the instructional task also indicated a high level of sensitivity to children's developmental characteristics. Analyses conducted over a 2-year period revealed that adjustments were commensurate with children's emerging social communication abilities, suggesting that mothers of children with developmental delays continue to display social communication patterns that are supportive of their child's development.

Resilience and the course of daily parenting stress in families of young children with intellectual disabilities

“…Yet, we still know little about the direct association between parent–child relationships and the experience of daily parenting stressors. Perhaps a positive parent–child relationship may help the child develop better skills in communication and social relationships (Guralnick et al. 2008), but this may not completely shield the parent from the challenges of raising a child with developmental disabilities.…”

Early Intervention for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: An Update

“…Despite the usual variability, these overall developmentally appropriate patterns of interaction continue to occur over a 2‐year period, suggesting ongoing adjustments by parents as children make developmental advances (Guralnick et al . ).…”

Why Early Intervention Works

“…Numerous accommodations and adjustments in routine activities are often successfully achieved by parents and enable their children to develop in the most optimal manner possible (Gallimore, Weisner, Bernheimer, Guthrie, & Nihira, 1993; Guralnick, Neville, Hammond, & Connor, 2008). Generally speaking, successful adjustments by parents of vulnerable children are especially likely when adequate family resources are available.…”