Mothers' play with toys: a longitudinal study with Down's syndrome infants

Play with parents is recognized as an important learning medium for all children, yet there have been remarkably few studies of mothers' spontaneous actions with toys while playing with their children and none at all with Down's syndrome infants. This was a home-based study which commenced when the infants were 12 months old, and observations were made at approximately 6-weekly intervals until the infants were 24 months old. Significant differences were noted in mothers' play patterns with different toys and over the year there were marked changes in their actions. These seemed to result from developments in the children's play with toys. The findings reinforce the competency of most mothers as interactors with, and teachers of, their children. Possible implications for intervention strategies are discussed, especially the provision of more specific information about the sequences of development in children's play.