Models of child-family interactions for children with developmental delays: child-driven or transactional?

Child-driven and transactional models of child-family interactions were tested with 80 children who had developmental delays and their families. Children's cognitive competence, personal-social competence, behavior and communication "hassle," and family accommodations to the children were assessed at child ages 3, 7, and 11. Accommodations were summarized as internal (within the family) and external (use of outside resources) intensity and types. Results indicate that the longitudinal relationships between children's cognitive competence, personal-social competence, behavior and communication hassle, and family accommodations are best explained by a child-driven model. Implications for early intervention and for the need to consider both child and family outcomes are discussed.