Environmental and temperament assessments of children with Down's syndrome.
Parent and teacher rating scales reveal that children with Down syndrome are less adaptable yet more sociable than siblings—use these profiles to tailor task length and social teaching.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Parents and teachers filled out three rating scales about children with Down syndrome. The same adults also rated the kids' brothers and sisters for comparison.
The team looked at nine temperament traits plus family cohesion and support. They wanted a clear picture of how these children differ from siblings.
What they found
Children with Down syndrome showed less adaptability and persistence. They approached new people and toys more readily than their siblings did.
Families still scored high on warmth and togetherness. The mixed pattern tells us each child is unique, but some trends show up across the group.
How this fits with other research
Poppes et al. (2010) widened the lens to mixed intellectual disability. They found Down-syndrome toddlers created the least negative family impact, matching the high cohesion seen here.
Day et al. (2021) and Moya et al. (2022) moved the focus from 1990s temperament to executive function. Both used parent-teacher surveys and linked weaker EF to behavior and adaptive skill challenges.
Hsiao (2014) echoed the warmth finding in Taiwanese families. More social support predicted healthier family functioning, extending the cohesion result across cultures.
Why it matters
Use the parent-teacher profile to set realistic expectations. A child who scores low on persistence may need shorter task segments and more frequent praise. High approach can be an asset for social skills training. Share the warmth data with families to remind them their positive feelings are typical and valuable for intervention success.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study was designed to investigate the family environment and the temperament of children with Down's syndrome (DS). Parents of 40 children with DS completed the Family Environmental Scale (FES). They also were asked to fill out the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children (TABC) for both the child with DS and the nearest same-sex sibling. A similar questionnaire of the TABC (teacher form) was sent to the children's teachers. The results of these investigations revealed that there were high scores in categories cohesion, expressiveness, achievement, moral/religious emphasis, organization and control on the FES, indicating that family members in the study cohort are relationship oriented, provide support for one another, emphasize ethical values and are able to express their feelings. Comparing TABC results between children with DS with their siblings, significant differences were observed in such categories as adaptability, approach/withdrawal and persistence. Control children were scoring higher in the adaptability and persistence categories, whereas children with DS achieved significantly higher scores than the control children in the approach/withdrawal category.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1994 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.1994.tb00374.x