Parent-child interaction: a comparison of parents' perceptions in three groups

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Child Development
• Disability Studies

Background:

• The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a framework for understanding health and disability.
• A children's version of the ICF is needed to account for developmental stages and dependency on caregivers.
• Understanding parent-child interaction is crucial for supporting children with disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a children's version of the ICF, considering developmental aspects and parental roles.
• To explore parental perceptions of child participation and interaction.
• To investigate how body impairments and activity limitations influence parent-child interactions.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire-based study involving 91 parents of children with disabilities.
• Comparison of three groups: profound multiple disabilities, developmentally matched, and chronologically matched.
• Analysis of perceived immediate parent-child interaction and desired ideal interaction.

Main Results:

• Children with profound multiple disabilities showed difficulties expressing complex emotions but similar emotional expression overall.
• Parental perceptions of child behavior styles were consistent across groups.
• Parents of children with profound multiple disabilities reported greater difficulties in joint attention and attention directing during interaction.

Conclusions:

• Parental perceptions of immediate interaction are partially related to children's body impairments, but less so to communication skills or activity limitations.
• Communication interventions should prioritize participation and interaction.
• Assessment tools and parental questioning should directly address interaction and participation dynamics.