Mother-father-child interactions in families with a mentally retarded young child

The functioning of families with a mentally retarded young child was studied by examining maternal, paternal, and child interactions. Forty Israeli families with retarded children and a developmentally matched sample were observed at home. In families with a retarded child, there was less frequent maternal behavior toward the retarded child, less frequent communicative behavior of the retarded child toward the parents, and more frequent spousal interchanges with regard to the child. Fathers of retarded children differed less from fathers of nonretarded children than did mothers. Results were discussed in relation to home-based intervention with retarded children.