Deaf and hearing mothers' interactions with normally hearing infants and toddlers

The purpose of this study was to compare the interactions between Deaf mothers and their normally hearing infants and toddlers with the interactions between hearing mothers and their normally hearing infants and toddlers. The Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS), modified to credit Deaf mothers and their children for both spoken and signed communications, was used to assess mother-child interactions. There were no statistically significant differences in scores on the NCATS Parent subscales, NCATS Child subscales, or in total NCATS scores of the Deaf mother/child dyads compared with the hearing mother/child dyads. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.