Sklianska O. Formation of social interaction in children of early age with disabilities with their primary caregiver

The goal of this dissertation is to study formation of social interactions in early-aged children with disabilities with their primary caregivers. Based on the analysis of scientific sources, the concept of social interaction of early aged children with their primary caregivers is defined. Theoretical analysis has provided grounds for establishing a comprehensive understanding of the structure of the social interaction of young children with their primary caregivers. Such structure consists of the following: emotional, dimensional and temporal, substantive (scope of surrounding objects), motivational (promotion of child’s cognitive activity), communicative, and dyadic characteristics. The levels of social interaction were identified. They are: cyclical social actions of a child and their primary caregiver, level of dyad, parent-child relationships. The paper presents a structural and dynamic model of forming social interactions in early aged children. This model has become a theoretical basis for further research of methods for diagnostics and formation of social interaction. An experimental study of the features of the social interaction of young children with developmental disorders with their primary caregiver and the factors influencing its formation was carried out. Based on understanding of the structure of social interactions, author have developed a method for evaluating interactions in the dyad between the primary caregiver and the young child with developmental disorders. The results of the observations by author's method were confirmed and supplemented by scale “Child Development Inventory”, “Questionnaire of Parent-Child Emotional Relations” and “Family Quality of Life”. The paper identifies positive tendencies, as well as difficulties in organizing and maintaining qualitative interactions. An experimental study discovered difficulties in the social interaction of young children with their primary caregivers, which manifest in emotional, dimensional and temporal, substantive, motivational, communicative characteristics and in dyadic characteristics altho. A program of forming social interaction of young children with developmental disorders with their primary caregiver was developed and tested. Implementation of a program of forming social interaction has allowed to obtain significant improvement in indicators of social interaction: i.e. emotional interaction, organization of surrounding objects and promotion of child’s cognitive activity, communication, and dialogic interactions. The program of forming social interaction designed to optimize interaction in the dyads, which has been developed and tested in the present research, has allowed to create necessary conditions to optimize mental development of toddlers with developmental disorders, induce positive changes in each component of social interaction structure and improve the quality of life in the family in general.