Parental stress and supports, child temperament and mother-child interaction in free play were assessed in three groups of families of delayed preschoolers: 40 children with Down's Syndrome, 29 children with neurological impairments, and 40 children with delayed development of unknown etiology. In addition to a number of instruments completed by staff and parents, videotapes of free play were analyzed. Findings suggested a wide variety of interactions and feelings of success in coping as a result of differences in child temperament and type of handicap. Specific results included that mothers of unknown etiology children reported lowest self-esteem scores, that mothers and fathers of Down's Syndrome children reported feeling most supported, and that mothers who experienced greatest frustration in daily coping were least likely to rate their child's overall temperament as easy and most likely to rate it difficult. (CL)