Corrigendum: Applicability of a novel attunement instrument and its relationship to parental sensitivity in infants with and without visual impairments.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.872114.].

Applicability of a Novel Attunement Instrument and Its Relationship to Parental Sensitivity in Infants With and Without Visual Impairments.

This study investigated the applicability of a novel instrument to assess parent-child attunement in free play interactions, in dyads with an infant with and without visual impairments (VI). We here report the findings on the reliability and applicability of the newly developed Attune & Stimulate Mother-Infant 56-items Instrument (A&S M-I) in two separate samples: one with infants with VI (N = 20) and one with typically sighted infants (N = 24). In addition, we assessed the contribution of parental sensitivity to attunement in dyadic interactions. The A&S M-I is an observational comprehensive instrument of behaviors that captures different body parts and their motility (i.e., finger movements, arm waving, and foot kicking), and different senses (i.e., audio, tactile, and visual). The appropriate responding of a parent to the child's signal (i.e., matching and containing) reflects the ability to attune in the dyad as well as parent's ability to stimulate the child to become engaged in the contact or activity. Consistency assessments revealed good reliability for maternal and infant behaviors, acceptable internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. Furthermore, both samples scored significantly above chance level on attunement, suggesting that the instrument captures parent-infant behavioral coordination, and VI was not related to parent-infant attunement. Lastly, a relation between parental sensitivity and attunement was found only in the TS sample. Altogether, these findings provide promising initial evidence of the applicability of the A&S M-I instrument for assessing dyadic attunement across different populations and ages. Having assessed the applicability of this observational instrument, future work should corroborate these findings in larger samples.

Effectiveness of a serious game on the self-concept of children with visual impairments: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Young children with visual impairments (VIs) are at high risk for mental disorders, due to victimization and subsequent social withdrawal. Children with VIs have been shown to have a poorer self-concept and lower general psychosocial well-being compared with peers without VIs. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a serious game to improve psychosocial outcomes in children with VIs. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the computer game See for children with VIs. The game was developed based on rational-emotive behavioral therapy principles, with the aim of addressing self-concept (academic, social, and general), psychosocial well-being (social inclusion, exclusion, and emotions), and coping strategies (approach, avoidance). Sixty-four children aged 6-8 years were randomized to the intervention group, who played the game, or a control group, who received care-as-usual (CAU). RESULTS: Our results showed that children with VIs who played the serious game scored significantly higher on academic self-concept and social inclusion compared with the control group. Furthermore, children rated the game positively, suggesting the desirability, validity, and feasibility of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide preliminary evidence that a serious game can enhance psychosocial outcomes in children with VIs. This approach might also promote positive educational outcomes, such as academic achievement, and reduce the stigma of therapy for children with VIs. Implications and future directions are discussed.