Mother-Infant Interactions in Infants with Disorders of Self-Regulation

In this study we sought to examine how infants with disorders of self-regulation compare to a normative sample in play interactions with their mothers. The infants with regulatory disorders had sleep and feeding problems, high irritability, poor self-calming, and hypersensitivities to sensory stimulation. The samples included 94 infants with regulatory disorders and 154 controls ranging in age from 7 to 30 months. Both samples were comparable on developmental parameters. Mother-infant interactions were assessed by videotaping three different play contexts using symbolic, tactile, and vestibular toys. All but one of the 23 coded maternal and infant behaviors had acceptable to good reliability. In comparison to the control group, the mothers of infants with poor self-regulation showed more anticontingent responses and less symbolic play during tactile play. They also showed more language, less movement play, and flat affect during movement play. No differences were found between mothers of infants with regulatory disorders and controls during the symbolic play situation. The infants with regulatory disorders showed more noncontingent responses, more aggression, less tactile exploration, and flat affect during tactile play in comparison to their normal peers. Gender by group differences were found for visual inspection, mouthing, and language behaviors during the symbolic play condition. No group differences were found for infant behaviors during the vestibular play. The three play contexts elicited different behaviors, thus validating the relevance of using different play conditions to observe mother-infant interactions. Age trends for specific behaviors were analyzed when group differences were present to find out how problems in self-regulation affect play interactions. The results should be useful in identifying treatment priorities for infants with disorders of self-regulation.