Establishment of joint attention in dyads involving hearing mothers of deaf and hearing children, and its relation to adaptive social behavior.
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.
Nowakowski
Matilda E
ME
Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Tasker
Susan L
SL
Schmidt
Louis A
LA
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment; D003638:Deafness / Q000151:congenital / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult