The study involving two visually impaired developmentally delayed infants, investigated the role of child/adult interaction in eliciting intentional (goal-directed) communicative behavior. It was hypothesized that child/adult interaction would increase the child's awareness of how his or her actions influence adult behavior and would lead the child to discover strategies of encoding objects and actions in gestures and vocalizations. Three aspects of child/adult interactions were examined over a 2 1/2 to 3 year period: (1) frequency of reciprocal interaction during play, (2) child responses to adult requests, and (3) spontaneous verbalization. The data were consistent with the hypothesis. Reciprocal interaction seems to increase the child's awareness of himself or herself as an active participant in social interaction, capable of influencing and directing adult behavior. (SW)