ABSTRACT
This study aimed to analyze the interaction between a mother and a child with visual impairment, through the examination of the communication strategies used by the mother in two contextual situations, that is, free play and structured play, in three steps. The social interaction perspective was adopted, which advocates the importance of social interactions for children's social and communication development. The participants of the study were a four-year-old male child, diagnosed with severe visual impairment and his mother. At each step two observations were made, totalizing six films, in which a video camera was used. The observations were transcribed and analyzed by describing the interactive scenes. It has been found that the maternal strategies used were similar throughout the steps, using tactile contact and attentional targeting. The child's behaviors mostly hampered the engagement between the dyad. The results highlights the importance of intervention programs in order to promote social and communication development, by indicating maternal strategies that can facilitate children's participation in interactive process.
KEYWORDS:
Special Education; Communication Strategies; Interaction; Visual Impairment