Imitation in the context of play with a child with deafblindness and her parents
Peltokorpi Sini
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021042716137
Tiivistelmä
Children who suffer from dual sensory impairment have to overcome many challenges, for example,
how to communicate with others as well as their parents. It can be difficult for them to make a contact
or understand each other‟s expressions as the use of typical sensory communication is hampered.
Children with deafblindness need the same kind of interaction with their parents that seeing and
hearing, so called typical children do, so that they can develop their communication and language
skills. Imitation is one of the typical characteristics of early interaction between infants and their
parents. It has been found to strengthen reciprocity in communication. Based on these findings,
researchers have begun to explore the effects of imitative responses during interactions between
persons having severe communicative impairments and others, such as their parents. As a result, many
positive findings regarding communication and social skills have been reported.
In this master‟s project two studies were performed, a literature study and a case study. In the
literature study imitation was explored from different theoretical perspectives, namely neurological
theory, cognitive psychology, transactional theory, dialogism and communicative interventions. In the
case study characteristics of imitation were observed and evaluated.
The case study involved a three-year-old child with deafblindness and her parents. The purpose of the
study was to explore characteristics of imitation during free-play sessions as well as during play
sessions where the parents were to use imitation intentionally as part of their response. The imitative
answers were analysed for frequency, length and communication modes used. One of the aims was
also to find out whether the parents‟ imitative answers have an effect on the child‟s behaviour. Three
different behaviours were explored: emotional expression, physical expression illustrated by the
placing of hands on parent‟s mouth and stopping activity. The data were collected through video
recordings.
Results from this study show that the parents exhibited notably more imitative answers than the child.
In free-play interaction the mother imitated the child more than the father, but the frequency of
imitative answers from the parents was equal in sessions where they used imitation intentionally. Most
of the imitative bouts had a length of one round. The longest imitative bouts were exhibited in the
sessions where the parents used imitation intentionally in their answers. The parents mainly used vocal
and gestural communication modes during free-play sessions, whilst tactile modes were used
infrequently. The use of tactile modes of communication was significantly increased during the
sessions where the parents used imitation intentionally in their answers. The communication modes
used in the imitative answers from the child were vocal and gestural throughout the sessions.
Only some of the imitative answers given by the parents had an effect on the child‟s behaviour during
free-play sessions. Up to half of the imitative answers the parents gave had an effect on the child‟s
behaviour during sessions where imitation was intentionally used. Of all the reactions smiling
occurred most often. The action of placing hands on the parent‟s mouth was noted frequently. The
results suggest that the parents‟ intentional use of imitation and especially the use of tactile modes of
communication might have been associated with the increased number of changes in the child‟s
behaviour. The implications for the development of children with deafblindness are discussed.
Kokoelmat
- Rinnakkaistallenteet [19207]