Parent-Child Interaction and Developmental Disabilities: Theory, Research, and Intervention

This volume brings together original papers by international scholars and practitioners on the question of the effects of parent interaction with developmentally disabled children. The contributors present evidence that the quality of parent-child interaction differs in the families of disabled children and that this interaction may make the symptoms more or less pronounced. For example, a strong pattern of parent-child interaction appears to reduce the disability in handicapped children, even in cases of Down's Syndrome. Many of the chapters pose provocative questions and provide insightful directives for future theorizing and research on family interactions involving developmentally disabled infants and children.