An Exploration of Interactional Behaviors of Turkish Mothers and their Children with Special Needs: Implications for Early Intervention Practices

Abstract

The present study explored 148 Turkish mothers' styles of interaction and interactive engagement behaviors of their children who have special needs (speech and language delays, mild intellectual disabilities, and autism). Video recordings mother-child interactions were analyzed using the Turkish Version of Maternal Behavior Rating Scale (TV-MBRS; Diken, 2009) and the Turkish Version of Child Behavior Rating Scale (TV-CBRS; Diken, 2009). Results revealed that the groups differed in terms of sensitivity, praise, directiveness and pace of the TV-MBRS and all of the TV-CBRS items. Implications for early intervention in Turkey were provided.