Shared reading: Interaction between parents and children in a natural setting

Abstract

Objective The present study aimed to describe and analyze how parents naturally carry out shared reading with their children, without specific instructions. Additionally, the effect of a brief intervention to teach parents to use shared reading strategies was evaluated. Method Four families with children between the ages of four and five without a diagnosis of any disorder participated. We analyzed home footage captured by parents of shared reading moments, and to analyze the intervention, we measured the number of language stimulus strategies used by the parents as well as measures of the children's language. Results The description of the natural situation generated four categories of analysis: organization of the physical space, contact with the book, the way the story is told and the emotional relationship between parents and children. After the brief intervention, improvements were found in all measured variables when compared to pre-intervention data. Conclusion The importance of guiding families to use more language stimulation strategies in the context of shared reading is discussed, in order to enrich the child's speaking opportunities.