Transactional relationships between maternal requesting and responsivity, adolescent compliance, and task demands in fragile X syndrome.
Heather Fielding-Gebhardt, Nancy Brady, Shelley L Bredin-Oja and 1 others
PMID 36708631WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescent compliance with maternal requests was not predicted by how direct the request was.
Instead, compliance dropped when mothers issued a higher proportion of behavioral requests. This suggests that reducing the overall density of commands may be more effective for engagement than simplifying the language used.
Key findings
01Adolescent compliance did not vary based on whether maternal requests were direct or indirect.
02Higher maternal request frequency for behavioral compliance was associated with lower adolescent compliance.
03Mothers of adolescents with co-occurring autism provided fewer opportunities for the child to respond, often completing tasks themselves or using physical guidance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small (n=35), predominantly white, highly educated, and from high-income households, limiting generalizability. The study was observational and correlational, so it cannot determine causality (e.g., whether high request frequency causes noncompliance or if noncompliant adolescents elicit more requests). The tasks used (iPad games, puzzles, snack-making) may not reflect typical daily activities for adolescents with FXS, reducing ecological validity. The fixed order of tasks may have introduced fatigue effects, although the authors attempted to control for this.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that simplifying language to direct imperatives will improve compliance in adolescents with FXS. The study found that request directness did not affect compliance; instead, the overall frequency of behavioral demands was the critical factor.