Parent–child problem solving in families of children with or without intellectual disability

Abstract

Objective To examine differences in child social competence and parent–child interactions involving children with intellectual disability (ID) or typical development (TD) during a Parent–Child Problem-Solving Task. Design Mothers and their 9-year-old children (n = 122) participated in a problem-solving task in which they discussed and tried to resolve an issue they disagreed about. The interactions were coded on child and mother problem solving and affect behaviours, as well as the dyad’s problem resolution. Results Children with ID (n = 35) were rated lower on expression/negotiation skills and higher on resistance to the task than children with TD (n = 87). Mothers in the ID group (vs. TD group) were more likely to direct the conversation. However, there were no group differences on maternal feeling acknowledgement, engagement, warmth or antagonism. The ID dyads were less likely to come to a resolution and to compromise in doing so than the TD dyads. These group differences were not attributable to differences in children’s behaviour problems. Conclusions Children with ID and their mothers had more difficulty resolving problems, and this increased difficulty was not explained by greater behaviour problems. Additionally, with the exception of directiveness, mothers of children with ID displayed similar behaviours and affect towards their children during problem solving as mothers of children with TD. Results suggest that the Parent–Child Problem-Solving Task is a useful way to assess social skills and associated parental behaviours in middle childhood beyond self-report. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.

Family-peer linkages for children with intellectual disability and children with learning disabilities

“…Some reports from this investigation combined the subgroups into a “developmental delayed” group and showed that they differed from families of children without delays. In particular, at age nine years, these children showed relatively limited expression/negotiation skills during a problem solving task, and their mothers displayed relatively high levels of directiveness (Wieland, Green, Ellingsen, & Baker, 2014). Thus, the findings for this combined sample resembled results involving only children with significant intellectual disability.…”

Meeting the Reproductive Needs of Female Adolescents With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

“…Some parents are extremely protective and want to wait until the adolescent is an adult to discuss sexuality (Wilkenfeld & Ballan, ). An interprofessional team approach has been an effective method to allay the anxiety of parents (Wieland, Green, Ellingsen, & Baker, ; Wilkenfeld & Ballan, ).…”

Habilidades adaptativas sociais e conceituais de indivíduos com deficiência intelectual

“…Regarding difficulties related to social skills, little is known about how children with ID respond in situations of conflict which need social problem solving and how the family can contribute to develop such skills (14) . However, parents of children with ID can collaborate to develop these skills, either by providing support and assistance to learning in pursuit of goals, or by discussing emotional experiences with their children (13) .…”