Maternal Communication Style With Developmentally Delayed Preschoolers

Videotaped interactions of 98 mother-child dyads (40 with Down syndrome, 23 with neurological problems, and 35 with delays of unknown etiology)were examined for mothers' language facilitation strategies (modeling or eliciting)in two situations (play and teaching). Mothers emphasized modeling strategies more than eliciting techniques. This discrepancy increased in the teaching task. Mothers' level of communication was responsive to the child's ability level. Thus mothers' speech to delayed children takes account of their childrens' linguistic skills. However mothers appear to focus on child “performance”, rather than eliciting speech, and this is more evident during “teaching” activities. Being more specific about the child's turn to talk may be an enhancing addition to the language repertoire of mothers of children with delayed language and may be a useful focus for interventions with families.