Interaction between parents and children with congenital deafblindness
(CDB) is easily hampered due to dual sensory loss. This case report
examines imitation and emotional availability in interaction between a
mother and her 3-year-old child with CDB first in unguided play and then
in three play sessions with tactile imitation guidance. The video
recorded play sessions were analyzed for frequency, length, and modality
of imitation. Emotional Availability Scales were used to code the
emotional quality of interaction. The results showed that before the
guidance the mother imitated the child mainly vocally. After the
guidance, the use of tactility in imitations increased. Imitation
exchanges lasted longest in the last session. The emotional availability
between the mother and the child was higher after the guidance. Further
research is needed to confirm the positive outcomes of this case study.