Clear communication and communication deviance among parents of siblings with and without learning disabilities

This study investigated clear communication and communication deviance among parents in families having one child with a learning disability and a second child without a learning disability.;The sample consisted of 32 family triads (96 participants in total). Each triad included a primary caretaking parent, one school-aged child with a learning disability, and one school-aged child without a learning disability. Families were randomly assigned to either of two conditions (monologue or dialogue) and administered the Rorschach Arrangement Test (RorAT, Green, Ditton, Singer, & Perkins, 1990) a dyadic communication task requiring parents to verbally instruct their children. In the monologue condition, parents instructed each sibling individually. Children were not permitted to ask their parents questions or give feedback while instructions were being given. In the dialogue condition, the task was the same, except that children were free to discuss the task and instructions with their parents. The administration was counterbalanced to control for sibling (with or without a learning disability) and birth order effects. Parents' instructions were transcribed and analyzed for clear communication and communication deviance.;Clear communication was measured using the Clear Communication Rating Scale (CCRS, Green et al., 1990). Parent communication deviance was rated using criteria reported in Ditton, Green, and Singer (1987). Children with learning disabilities were identified on the basis of average or better ability, and below average achievement on at least one of two reading measures. These included a word recognition test and a pseudo-word reading test. Siblings without learning disabilities were defined as having average or better ability and average or better achievement.;Three research questions were addressed. First, does clear communication or communication deviance vary within families? Second, does clear communication or communication deviance vary between families assigned to either of the two conditions (monologue or dialogue)? Third, does parent communication clarity or deviance vary as a function of the interaction between sibling (learning disabled or non-learning disabled) and condition (monologue or dialogue)?;The results revealed a significant main effect for sibling (learning disabled or non-learning disabled). There was not a significant main effect for condition (monologue or dialogue); however, a significant interaction between sibling and condition was observed. Parent communication deviance did not vary significantly on the basis of sibling or condition, nor as a function of the interaction between sibling and condition. These results suggested that a combination of variables, including parent history of learning difficulty, children's learning status (learning disabled or non-learning disabled) and condition (monologue or dialogue) may contribute to parent communication clarity.;The study concludes with a discussion of clinical implications and recommendations for future research in the fields of school psychology, special education and family counseling.