Associations Between Parenting Behaviors and Behavioral Problems in Young Children With Developmental Delays

Abstract Children with developmental delays (DD) are at heightened risk for developing behavior problems, which contribute to parenting stress and caregiving burden. There is an established relation between parenting behaviors and child developmental outcomes with less known about parent–child interactions in young children with DD. The present study examined the associations between parenting behaviors and child behavior in a sample of 180 families with preschool-aged children with DD. Results indicated that caregivers’ harsh and coercive behaviors were associated with observed challenging behavior in children. Child age, as well as the number of commands issued by caregivers were associated with noncompliance in children. The significance and limitations of these findings are discussed, as well as recommendations for interventions and future research.