Comparative study of participation, interaction and communication in dyads with children with developmental delay and with children with typical development during a construction task

Abstract

From birth, all children have the right to full social inclusion. Participation in collaborative tasks contributes to their inclusion. In this study, participated 14 dyads with children with global developmental delay and 14 dyads with children with typical development. They were matched according to gender and age. Each dyad was independently observed in the Tandem situation (a semi-free filmed observation), and participants were asked to make a product of their choice within 20 minutes, with materials and tools at their disposal. Our propose was to describe and compare the two study groups: i) child's authorship and participation through the product description; ii) quality of adult interactive behaviors through the application of Tandem scales; (iii) quality of adult communicative behavior by frequency recording; and iv) know the strategies used by the adult during the activity by describing the behaviors in narratives. Children with developmental problems received fewer symbolic opportunities (the adult used more concrete language and directed realization to concrete objects), active participation (most of the authorship of the products was from the adult) and recognition (praise) than the rest. In short, adult behavior and communication varied in both study groups.