title: Childhood deafness and maternal control.
abstract: Comparison of the mother-child interactions of deaf-child and hearing-child dyads showed an emphasis on control (instructions and commands) by mothers of deaf children. This finding is reminiscent of previous observations regarding the mother-child interactions of mentally retarded children. The maternal emphasis on control seen in both groups may be unrelated to either deafness or to mental deficiency; instead, it may represent a "normal" adaptation to the breakdown in reciprocal communication which is commonly (and unnecessarily) seen in both deafness and mental retardation.
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations