Interacting with other human beings is necessary for survival, protection and stimulation - and communication emerges out of necessity. Communication can be accomplished through linguistic and non-linguistic codes involving, at least, two people, classified as interlocutors, who exchange messages between each other. The aim of this study was to investigate interaction between mothers with Down syndrome children and their children and mothers with children with language disorders and their children. Five dyads of Down syndrome children and their mothers, and five dyads of children with language disorders and their mothers participated in the study. Three sessions of spontaneous interaction between mother and child were recorded at home. The results showed that the behaviors of mothers of children with language disorders were more appropriate when interacting with their children. They showed greater balance of dialogic activity during interaction, better grammatical structure and greater complexity of proper speech, more patience with the child and proper speech intonation. For their part, the mothers of children with Down syndrome showed greater interest during communicative interaction.
Social interaction; Language Disorder; Down syndrome; Communication
