The interaction of the handicapped child with his mother: A study of different diagnostic groups in a standard choice situation

Abstract

The interaction during a standard toy choosing situation of a group of 10 autistic children, each together with his mother, was compared with that of a group of 10 physically handicapped children with their mothers, 10 emotionally disturbed children with their mothers, and 10 subnormal children with their mothers. Bales' interaction process analysis was employed for recording the interaction observed, and significant differences between the autistic and other groups were found. These differences supported hypotheses derived from the literature on mother-child interaction in autism and schizophrenia. The reliability and implications of the findings are discussed, together with the value of the approach used.