Parental behavior in interactions with children has been related to child language development. Our study contributes to the literature about relations between the characteristics of parent–child interactions during play and a child’s language development in typically developing children at early ages, with data from mothers and fathers from the same families in Spain. Our aim was to analyze the relation between positive parenting behaviors assessed with the Spanish version of the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO) and child language development assessed with the Bayley-III scales. We controlled for some sociodemographic variables. The participants were 90 children aged 15–31 months and their mothers and fathers. Bivariate analysis showed significant positive relations between mothers’ responsive, encouraging and teaching behaviors and a child’s language scores. Relations were found between fathers’ encouraging and teaching behaviors and a child’s language. Regression models indicate that maternal and paternal encouraging behaviors predicted 18% of the variability in the child’s receptive language, and maternal responsive and teaching behaviors predicted 16% of the variability in the child’s expressive language and total language scores. The study provides new data that support the relevance of positive parental behaviors to improve a child’s linguistic development.

Background: The study assesses the support needs of individuals with intellectual disability and their families in Catalonia. The present authors examine family quality of life (FQoL), identify the individual services required and assess families' perceptions of the extent to which their family member with intellectual disability and they themselves receive the services they need.Materials and Methods: The N&S questionnaire (Needs and Supports for people with intellectual disability and their families) was administered to 2160 families with a family member with intellectual disability aged under 70 in Catalonia (Spain).Results: Overall mean FQoL was quite high. FQoL was associated with family income, education, employment and percentage level of disability. Neither people with intellectual disability nor their families receive the specific support they need.Conclusions: Besides providing specific support for individuals with intellectual disability, local policymakers and practitioners should apply a family‐centred approach to the provision of support for families in order to improve FQoL.

Parenting is a key factor for the development of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Therefore, early intervention programs should target parenting behaviors to improve children’s developmental outcomes. The present study analyzed the effect of parental behaviors and other family factors on the cognitive and linguistic development of children with an intellectual disability (ID). Participants (n = 87, aged between 20 and 47 months) were recruited from several Spanish Early Intervention Centers. The children’s development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III) on two occasions. Besides questionnaires including family factors, 10-min mother–child and father-child interactions during free play were auto-recorded at home. Intensive statistical modeling on the two measurement occasions was used to select relevant predictors as well as their interactions. Child cognitive development models, including predictors such as mother’s responsiveness and affection and father’s teaching, had a predictive capacity between 22 and 26%. The language development models, including the mother’s responsiveness and father’s teaching scores amongst other predictors, yielded adjusted-R²s between 26 and 28%. This study’s findings evidence that parental behaviors during adult–child interaction affect the development of children with intellectual disabilities. The study also provides data that can be used to guide early intervention.

Early intervention services (EIS) worked hard to continue serving children and their families during the COVID-19 lockdown, using online applications. This study aimed to determine families’ and professionals’ perceptions of the functioning of the early intervention (EI) model in Spain during the pandemic. The study sample comprised two subsamples: 81 families of children attended at an EIS (72 mothers and 9 fathers) and 213 professionals recruited from EIS. The survey was conducted online several weeks after the end of the strict lockdown in Spain. Descriptive statistics of the questionnaire answered by families and professionals were compiled, comparisons were made between the families’ and the professionals’ responses, and the relationships with several sociodemographic variables were analyzed. The results indicated that parents who cared for their children and were fully responsible for housework, parents who had used telematic tools before the lockdown, and younger professionals had a more positive perception of the EI model and the incorporation of family-centered practices (FCP) during the pandemic. The results also showed statistically significant differences in some items between parents and professionals: for example, professionals perceived more advantages than families during the lockdown, quoting the greater participation of families in the intervention and a greater focus on families’ needs. The data obtained from professionals suggested a more positive attitude toward FCP: however, the results show that they continued to adopt a directive role in the intervention, a position that is at odds with the tenets of FCP. There is a clear need for more training if a paradigm shift to FCP is to be achieved. Families’ and caregivers’ perceptions of telerehabilitation, and their adherence to telerehabilitation programs, are discussed. The implications of this study with regard to guiding future telematic interventions and family support are also considered.