Parenting of children with Down syndrome compared to fragile X syndrome

ABSTRACT

Children with Down syndrome (DS) and fragile X syndrome (FXS) struggle with language development. Parenting variables, such as responsiveness to children’s communication attempts (Maternal Responsivity), and techniques used to support and teach appropriate behavior (Behavior Management) are known to have a significant impact on early child development. We examined these two aspects of parenting style via coded, videotaped parent-child interactions in two groups of participants matched on child age (2–5 years) and child expressive language level: mothers of children with DS and mothers of children with FXS. The mothers differed in their use of gestures and redirecting the child’s attention. Overall, mothers in both groups of children appeared to adapt appropriately to their children’s developmental needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Intellectual disability
• language development
• maternal responsivity
• mother-child interactions

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the families who participated in the study. We would also like to thank Nancy Brady, Holly Pyle, Shelley Bredin-Oja, Michaela Catlin, Meghan Othick, Marcel Tassara, and Lori Wiebold-Lippisch at the University of Kansas for their contributions to data collection and coding and to Jane Roberts at the University of South Carolina for her assistance in recruiting and retaining families who contributed to the study.

Funding

This research is supported in part by grants P30 HD003110 to the University of North Carolina, P30 HD002528 to the University of Kansas, and P30 HD03352 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from NICHD.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported in part by grants P30 HD003110 to the University of North Carolina, P30 HD002528 to the University of Kansas, and P30 HD03352 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from NICHD.