Enhancing mothers' interactions with toddlers who have sensory-processing disorders

The objective of the current study was to examine the effects of a brief Mediational Intervention for Sensitizing Caregivers (the MISC-SP) designed to enhance the quality of mothers' interaction with their toddlers who have sensory processing disorders (SPD). The basic assumption was that quality parent-child interactions can serve as a protective factor moderating the potential negative effects of toddlers' sensory processing and regulation difficulties on their development. The effects of the intervention were compared to those of another intervention designed to enhance children's sensory functioning (the SI group) and to a control group receiving no intervention. Participants were 86 toddlers (12-18 months old) with SPD and their mothers, who were randomly assigned to the aforementioned three research groups. Following the intervention period, mothers in the MISC-SP group showed more sensitive behavior, supported their toddlers' communication behavior better, and used teaching behaviors more appropriately than did mothers in the two other groups.