Peer Interactions Throughout Development in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome

One in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome (DS), making it the most common genetic abnormality and largest cause of severe intellectual disability (Wishart, 2007, Parker et al., 2010). In order to improve the quality of life for individuals with DS, it is important for therapists to address deficits in areas that are of the greatest concern to the individual, which in the case of DS is often in areas of social development and interaction (Iarocci, Yager, Rombough, & McLaughlin, 2008). In this study, students with DS in the Northfield public schools were observed to determine which age groups (early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence) are having the most difficulty interacting with peers. Seven students, ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old, were observed and their behavior was coded during free social time in school to determine what percentage of observed time was spent exhibiting high-level (HL), low-level (LL), and nonsocial (NS) interaction. Additionally, a teacher questionnaire identified the prevalence of social skills and problem behaviors exhibited by each student. Results showed that although middle childhood students exhibited the highest level of externalizing problem behaviors, adolescents spent the most amount of time engaging in NS behavior (r = .88, p \u3c .01) and the least amount of time engaging in HL behavior (r = -.91, p \u3c .01). Recommendations, such as the implementation of a peer buddy program, are offered to improve the quality and quantity of social interactions in high-schoolers with DS