The effect of context on mother's interaction style with Down's syndrome and typically developing children.
Mealtimes magnify a directive style in moms of Down syndrome kids, but the same children play fine with peers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers watched moms at home with their preschoolers. Half the kids had Down syndrome. Half were typically developing. The team compared how moms talked and acted during three daily routines: play, mealtime, and dressing.
They counted teacher-style hints, praise, and warm chat. Each family was taped for the same length of time.
What they found
At the table, moms of Down syndrome children gave more orders and fewer "good job" comments. The gap was largest at meals and smallest during play.
Overall, these moms used more helper moves and less friendly talk than the other group.
How this fits with other research
Adkins et al. (1997) saw the same tight timeline: moms of Down syndrome kids wait only 1.8 seconds after questions, less than moms of matched peers. Both studies show moms speed up and take control.
Delprato (2002) seems to disagree. It found equal peer play for Down syndrome and typical kids. The kids can socialize fine; the mismatch is in parent style, not child skill.
Stoneman (2007) adds a twist. After counting family income, the so-called Down syndrome advantage in parent well-being disappears. Money stress, not diagnosis, drives most parent mood differences.
Why it matters
If you coach families of young children with Down syndrome, spotlight wait time and mealtime talk. Encourage three extra seconds of silence after questions and one labeled praise each meal. Small shifts give the child space to answer and keep the mood warm.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Several studies suggest that difficulties with production or comprehension of language might be associated with the number of interactions initiated by parent or child, responsiveness or ability to sustain ongoing interactional sequences, or the distribution of parental interaction, control and reinforcement strategies. In this study Down's syndrome and typically developing preschool children were observed interacting with their mothers in free play and mealtime settings. We expected interaction patterns in the mothers of Down's syndrome children to be different from those in the mothers of typically developing children. Sixteen mother-child dyads (eight with Down's syndrome children and eight with typically developing children) served as subjects. Mothers of Down's syndrome children use more teacher and helper behaviors, particularly in meal time context, and less positive verbalizations than the mothers of typically developing children. Down's syndrome children also showed higher frequency of eye gazes during mealtime context. Patterns of such differences are discussed in terms of how mothers' style interactions during home activities might be differentially affected by different types of parent training interventions.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2000 · doi:10.1016/s0891-4222(00)00046-9