Parenting Skill Performances of Mothers of Young Children with Developmental Delay in Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the different parenting skills of mothers in various demographics in parenting their young children with development delay. The participants were mothers of 3-6 year old children with development delay (DDC mothers) from a registered preschool in Taiwan. Mothers Parenting Skills Questionnaire (MPSQ) was used as the research tool. A convenience sampling of 199 valid questionnaires was collected. Nearly 80% of the children exhibited developmental delay in language and communications; less prominent developmental delays were in (ranked in descending order by proportion) motor, cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, activities of daily living, and physiological aspects. The results of the present study revealed that the parenting skills of the DDC mothers approached the “moderately to satisfactorily met the criteria” level. The multiple regression analysis results revealed that the DDC mothers whose parenting skills were acquired from “parenting seminars” or “professionals or physicians,” residing in northern Taiwan, and attaining an education level of university or above exhibited higher performance in overall parenting skills, achieving a statistically significant correlation. The research results can serve as a reference for the DDC mothers of young children, educator of preschools, and early-intervention facilities.