Parent-child interaction and early pragmatic, auditory and linguistic abilities in deaf children

To describe the Parent-Child Interaction (PCI) in prelingually deaf children with hearing aids and cochlear implants; to evaluate correlations between PCI, parental stress and family participation in the intervention programme, as well as between PCI and auditory and spoken language abilities.

Twenty children (12 males, 8 females; mean age 21.8 ± 4.2 months) received a test battery including Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP), Social Conversational Skills Rating Scale for Assertiveness (SCS-A) and for Responsiveness (SCS-R), MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories (M-BCDI). PCI was assessed by video analysis, while parental stress and family participation were assessed with the Parenting Stress Index Short Form questionnaire (PSI) and Familiar Involvement Rate Scale (FIRS), respectively.

PCI style was "tutorial" in 15%, "modulated control" in 40%, "directive" in 20% and "asynchronous" in 25% of cases. A significant correlation was found between PCI and FIRS score, between PCI and CAP score, and between PCI and SCS-A rating scale score.

Assessment of PCI in deaf children is important because it relates to family participation in the intervention programme and affects the development of auditory and pragmatic abilities.