Social and behavioural skills and friendships among children with Down syndrome

Increasing social inclusion for children with Down syndrome is bringing greater demands on their social aptitudes and greater expectations of appropriate behaviour. This project will investigate the development of friendships, social skills and behaviour in children with Down syndrome at home and in mainstream and special schools. The investigation will chart the development of social skills and friendships in different environments. It will also examine the prevalence, frequency, persistence, and factors associated with, behaviour difficulties.

[Further details to follow]

Impact

• Longitudinal and cross-sectional data on a total population sample of primary school-aged children with Down syndrome, charting their social, behavioural and educational progress.
• Published practical guidance for encouraging the development of social skills, friendships and appropriate behaviour in school-aged children with Down syndrome.
• Published practical intervention techniques for discouraging difficult behaviour in the classroom, or at home.