1. ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT ATTENTION IN DYADS INVOLVING HEARING MOTHERS OF DEAF AND HEARING CHILDREN, AND ITS RELATION TO ADAPTIVE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR.
- Author
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Nowakowski, Matilda E., Tasker, Susan L., and Schmidt, Louis A.
- Subjects
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HEARING impaired children , *CHILD development , *DEAF children -- Language , *HEARING impaired , *HEARING disorders in children , *DEAFNESS in children , *DEAF children - Abstract
MOUNTING EVIDENCE points to joint attention as a mediating variable in children's adaptive behavior development. Joint attention in interactions between hearing mothers and congenitally deaf (n = 27) and hearing (n = 29) children, ages 18-36 months, was examined. All deaf children had severe to profound hearing loss. Mother-child interactions were coded for maternally initiated and child-initiated success rates in establishing joint attention; mothers completed ratings of their children's adaptive behavior. Hearing mother-deaf child dyads had significantly lower maternally initiated success rates. No significant between-group differences on child-initiated success rates were shown. Maternal ratings of adaptive behavior were significantly lower for deaf children, and related positively and significantly to both child-initiated and maternally initiated success rates. The findings suggest that mother-child interactions that are low in successful establishment of joint attention might mediate the development of socioemotional problems evident in deaf children with hearing families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2009
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