Deontics at bedtime
A case study of participants’ resources in a directive trajectory involving a mother and her autistic child
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/rcsi.12412Keywords:
autism, parent–child interaction, conversation analysis, directivesAbstract
Directive trajectories are common in parent–child talk as parents attempt to engage their children in household activities. Previous research on families with autistic children has reported that parents have difficulty engaging their children in household activities. The current study analyses the strategies a parent utilizes in negotiating an activity contract with their autistic child. The analyses show that the parent negotiates stances towards autonomy, category-membership-tied activities and social obligations, as well as used embodied conduct. The analyses also show how the child is sensitive to these strategies and actively participates in the directive trajectory. The findings show that both parent and child are active co-constructors of the social relationship in directive trajectories and that the child can strategically counter the variety of directive resources the parent uses.
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