Parent-Child Interaction with Hearing-Impaired Children and Normal Hearing Children

The study assessed parent-child interactions of five normal hearing children and five hearing-impaired children, aged 3-5. The mothers and fathers were administered the Mother-Child Relationship Evaluation (MCRE) to evaluate parental attitudes. Each parent and child participated in a 10-minute interactive play activity. The child's language level was estimated by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. No significant differences were found between the mothers' and the fathers' attitudes. No significant differences were found between parents of normal hearing children and parents of hearing-impaired children on any of the four attitude scales of the MCRE. However, a significant difference was found between the two groups of children in terms of estimated language level, with hearing-impaired children being less advanced. Results also showed that parents of normal hearing children used more verbal communication which was longer and more sophisticated, while parents of hearing-impaired children used more nonverbal communication. However, only 30% of the nonverbal communication was in the form of sign language, the mode of communication necessary for the hearing-impaired children. Includes 20 references. (Author/JDD)