Relationship of maternal behavioral style to the development of organically impaired mentally retarded infants.

The relationship of maternal behavioral style to the cognitive developmental status of 60, 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old organically impaired, mentally retarded children was investigated. Eighteen global maternal behaviors and four child behaviors were rated on a 10-minute video tape of mother-child play. A factor analysis of the maternal behavioral items revealed three major parameters of behavior. Child-Oriented/Maternal Pleasure was related positively, whereas Quantity of Stimulation and Control were related negatively to Children's Bayley Mental Development scores. Maternal behavioral style was not related to either the ratings of the children's behavior or to the children's current health status and family SES, but was related to the amount of time children had been in intervention programs. Findings were discussed in terms of their implications for intervention with mothers and their retarded infants.