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.

Research has shown that families raising a child with intellectual disability (ID) face many challenges and need to implement adaptation strategies. Some authors suggest that positive parental perceptions and perceived control could reduce emotional impact and promote family wellbeing. Nevertheless, there are few studies about the relationship between parental perceptions and family quality of life (FQoL) in those families. In this study, we used data from a sample of 251 Spanish parents whose children have ID. Positive perceptions scale and control perceptions scale, Spanish FQoL scale under 18 years-old and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered to those families. The results of bivariate analysis showed that some dimensions of positive perceptions were related to different areas of FQoL, for example, social inclusion and family accommodation. FQoL was associated with family income and support received. To predict the FQoL level, a multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted. Results indicated that FQoL scores can be predicted by a linear combination of positive perceptions and family income. Practical implications for promoting FQoL in these families are discussed. La investigación ha demostrado que las familias con niños/as con discapacidad intelectual (DI) se enfrentan a muchos retos y necesitan utilizar estrategias de adaptación. Algunos trabajos sugieren que las percepciones parentales positivas y el control percibido pueden reducir el impacto emocional y promover el bienestar familiar. No obstante, existen pocos estudios sobre la relación entre las percepciones parentales y la calidad de vida familiar (CdVF) en estas familias. Utilizamos una muestra de 251 madres y padres cuyos/as hijos/as presentan DI. Se administraron a las familias escalas de percepciones positivas y percepciones de control, la escala española de CdVF para menores de 18 y un cuestionario sociodemográfico. Los resultados del análisis bivariante mostraron que algunas dimensiones de las percepciones positivas estaban relacionadas con diferentes áreas de la CdVF (inclusión social y acomodación familiar). La CdVF se asoció con los ingresos familiares y el apoyo recibido. Para predecir el nivel de CdVF, se realizó un análisis de regresión lineal multivariante. Los resultados indicaron que las puntuaciones de CdVF pueden predecirse mediante una combinación lineal de percepciones positivas e ingresos familiares. Se discuten las implicaciones prácticas para promover la CdVF en estas familias.