[Effect of early intervention on the interaction of developmentally delayed infants and their mothers]

Abstract

The purpose of this study was (1) to examine the interaction patterns of mothers and their developmentally delayed infants during free play and instructional episodes; (2) to investigate the influence of an early intervention program on the interaction patterns of mothers and their developmentally delayed infants; and (3) to investigate to what extent the maternal perceptions and expectations, perceived stress and involving motivation were associated with maternal behavior while interacting with their developmentally delayed infants. The participants of this study were twenty-one developmentally delayed infants and their mothers. Each mother-child dyad was videotaped in a laboratory playroom for 10-minutes of free play and a 5-minute instructional session. Mental and psychomotor development of the child were measured by Bayley scale. The perception of child development, expectation, and the stress of mothers were measured by a self-report questionnaire which was designed by a researcher in this study. The mothers' motivation of involvement was evaluated by teachers. On year after early intervention, it was found that (1) developmentally delayed infants increased locomotion, (2) mothers demonstrated more positive emotional expression during mother-child interaction, and (3) the score of HOME, mother's involvement, and the quality of mother-child interaction which was evaluated by teachers were significantly increased. Furthermore, the differences between situations indicated that the developmentally delayed infants were more toy-oriented during play than instruction. The mothers tended to be more helpful in attitude while they instructed their children. The mother's perception of child development and stress were found to be the critical factors affecting maternal teaching, controlling, and caring behavior.