Analysing parent-child interactions in clinical practice: the development of a procedure and method of reporting

Research in child developmental psychology is concerning itself increasingly with the fine-grain study of infant-caregiver interactions and as a result awareness of the importance of early interaction patterns in the development of children has grown very rapidly. The research has been based on an observational approach made possible by the use of video-recording and the development of sophisticated methods of interaction analysis. The methods employed and the research findings have important implications for those working clinically with young handicapped children and their parents, but as yet the research methods have been too complex and time-consuming to be used directly in practice. This paper describes the development of a procedure which can be used to observe and analyse the interactions of pre-school handicapped children with their caregivers in a clinical setting, using modifications of existing research methods and based on current findings. Examples of the coding procedure, transcript sheet and reporting methods are given in the context of a pilot application. It is suggested that the approach is valuable as a conceptual framework which the observer can use to improve his observational skills, provides a sound base for assessment and remediation work and can incorporate new research findings as they become available.