Q: Are all people with DS happy and sociable?
A: "Children's behaviour and social development is influenced by temperament and personality. Some children are anxious in temperament, others placid and calm. Some children are outgoing and sociable, others are shy and find it less easy to make friends. Research studies indicate that the range of temperamental and personality characteristics among children with Down syndrome is the same as the range observed in typically developing children. There is little evidence to support the stereotype which suggests that all children with Down syndrome are invariably placid and happy.
Temperament is used to describe the basic behavioural style of children.[23] It is characterised in infants by collecting information on their activity level, regularity in biological functions such as hunger, sleep and bowel movements, readiness to accept new people and new situations, adaptability to changes in routine, sensitivity to noise, bright lights and other stimuli, whether a child's mood leans towards cheerfulness or unhappiness most of the time, intensity of responses, distractibility and degree of persistence. Based on these characteristics, different types of temperament have been identified by researchers studying typically developing infants and young children, including 'easy', 'difficult', 'slow to warm', and 'intermediate'.[23-25] Studies of children with Down syndrome indicate that the proportion of children classified in each type is similar to the proportions for typically developing children. For example, in a study of 12-36 month old infants with Down syndrome, 42% were classified as 'easy', 16% as difficult, 13% as 'slow to warm', and 29% as 'intermediate'.[26] This compares with a study of typically developing infants in which 38% were classified as 'easy', 12% as 'difficult', 6% as 'slow to warm' and 44% as 'intermediate'. [27]
These figures illustrate that the range of temperaments seen in the infants with Down syndrome was the same as the range seen in the typically developing children. The figures also illustrate the range of individual differences in the temperaments of the infants with Down syndrome, making clear that the stereotypes which suggest that all the children are the same are not supported by the evidence. This information also indicates that, like typically developing children, some children with Down syndrome will be more difficult to manage than others and that some will have more social difficulties than others, as a result of temperamental differences.
Some children and teenagers with Down syndrome, like other children, will have additional difficulties such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), obsessional compulsive disorders (OCD), anxiety or depression, which should be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Any of these additional difficulties will affect their social functioning."
A: "Children's behaviour and social development is influenced by temperament and personality. Some children are anxious in temperament, others placid and calm. Some children are outgoing and sociable, others are shy and find it less easy to make friends. Research studies indicate that the range of temperamental and personality characteristics among children with Down syndrome is the same as the range observed in typically developing children. There is little evidence to support the stereotype which suggests that all children with Down syndrome are invariably placid and happy.
Temperament is used to describe the basic behavioural style of children.[23] It is characterised in infants by collecting information on their activity level, regularity in biological functions such as hunger, sleep and bowel movements, readiness to accept new people and new situations, adaptability to changes in routine, sensitivity to noise, bright lights and other stimuli, whether a child's mood leans towards cheerfulness or unhappiness most of the time, intensity of responses, distractibility and degree of persistence. Based on these characteristics, different types of temperament have been identified by researchers studying typically developing infants and young children, including 'easy', 'difficult', 'slow to warm', and 'intermediate'.[23-25] Studies of children with Down syndrome indicate that the proportion of children classified in each type is similar to the proportions for typically developing children. For example, in a study of 12-36 month old infants with Down syndrome, 42% were classified as 'easy', 16% as difficult, 13% as 'slow to warm', and 29% as 'intermediate'.[26] This compares with a study of typically developing infants in which 38% were classified as 'easy', 12% as 'difficult', 6% as 'slow to warm' and 44% as 'intermediate'. [27]
These figures illustrate that the range of temperaments seen in the infants with Down syndrome was the same as the range seen in the typically developing children. The figures also illustrate the range of individual differences in the temperaments of the infants with Down syndrome, making clear that the stereotypes which suggest that all the children are the same are not supported by the evidence. This information also indicates that, like typically developing children, some children with Down syndrome will be more difficult to manage than others and that some will have more social difficulties than others, as a result of temperamental differences.
Some children and teenagers with Down syndrome, like other children, will have additional difficulties such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), obsessional compulsive disorders (OCD), anxiety or depression, which should be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Any of these additional difficulties will affect their social functioning."
