A PILOT-STUDY OF INTERVENTION WITH ADOLESCENT MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN - A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF CHILD OUTCOMES

The present pilot study examined the effects oi an intervention progra m designed for adolescent mothers and their young children on selected developmental skills in children. The intervention aimed to enhance t he development of the children through a curriculum that focused an im proving mother-child interaction skills and the mothers' knowledge of child development. Participants were 62 mothers enrolled in an alterna tive education school and their children. The children's performances on the Developmental Activities Screening Inventory-II (DASI-II) and o n the Play Assessment Scale (PAS) were videotaped pre-and postinterven tion. Child outcomes were scored on the DASI-II and the PAS. On both, measures, children in the intervention group made significantly greate r gains than those in the contrast group. The potential of short-term intervention programs an discussed, as are the limitations of this inv estigation.