Play and Emotional Availability in Mother-Child Interaction with ASD Children

Background:  The role of parents in the play development of typically and atypically developing children is a recurrent topic in the literature (Bornstein, Haynes, O’Reilly, & Painter, 1996; Bruner, 1975; Fiese 1990; Howes, Unger, & Matheson, 1992; Noll & Harding, 2003). There is compelling evidence that caregiver involvement in child play activities enhances the complexity, the duration, and the frequency of more advanced child play both in typically developing children and in children with intellectual disabilities (Cielinski et al. 1995 Bornstein et al. 1996, 2002; Venuti et al. 1997, 2008). This study investigates mother–child interaction and its associations with play in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are severe, neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and restrictive repetitive or stereotypic patterns of behavior.

Objectives:  Significant empirical research has confirmed the view that children with autism are predisposed not to engage in spontaneous pretend play.  Concerning children with ADS, few studies have investigated parent–child interaction in terms of the overall emotional quality of dyadic interaction and its effect on child play. 

Methods:  A sample of 30 mothers of children with ASD (age 4 years) took part in this study. The diagnosis of participants with ASD was confirmed through clinical judgment by an independent clinician based on the DSM-IV as well as through the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS - Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & Risi, 2003). Data were collected during two consecutive 10-min play sessions videotaped continuously. A set of standard, age-appropriate toys that represent feminine, masculine, and gender-neutral categories was used (Caldera, Huston, & O’Brien, 1989). During the session, the mother was asked to play individually with her child, as she typically would. In particular, we studied whether the presence of the mother in an interactional context affects the exploratory and symbolic play of children with ADS and interrelations between children’s level of play and dyadic emotional availability. Emotional availability (EA) in mother–child dyads and in father-child interaction was coded using the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS, 4rd ed.; Biringen et al., 2008). The EAS include four parent scales (Sensitivity, Structuring, Nonintrusiveness, Nonhostility) and two child scales (Responsiveness, Involving). The play sessions were independently coded from the same videotapes in accordance with a mutually exclusive and exhaustive category system that included eight levels and a default (no play) category (see Bornstein et al., 1996; Bornstein & O’Reilly, 1993; Tamis- LeMonda & Bornstein, 1996). 

Results:  We found that dyadic emotional availability and child play level are associated in children with ADS, consistent with the hypothesis that dyadic interactions based on a healthy level of emotional involvement may lead to enhanced cognitive functioning. 

Conclusions:  These results will be interest for the implementation of intervention programs focused on the parent-child relationship and on specific dimensions of child development.