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Progress in social‐independent functioning of young people with Down's syndrome
Author(s) -
Sloper p.,
Turner S.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2788.1996.tb00601.x
Subject(s) - psychology , coping (psychology) , developmental psychology , self sufficiency , psychological intervention , social support , path analysis (statistics) , social change , down syndrome , social functioning , clinical psychology , psychiatry , social psychology , statistics , mathematics , political science , law , economics , economic growth , distress
The progress over a 5‐year period in the social‐independent functioning of 96 older children and teenagers with Down's syndrome was examined. A significant increase in scores on the Self‐Sufficiency Index was found, with considerable individual variability. Path analysis was used to trace the factors associated with current levels of self‐sufficiency and the degree of change over time. Earlier level of cognitive development was the strongest predictor of progress in self‐sufficiency, but family factors were also important, particularly mothers’ strategies for coping with child problems and mothers’ levels of social support. For a small number of children with the lowest developmental level, family factors were less important as their self‐sufficiency was more strongly limited by their severe disability. The results suggest that interventions aimed at changing maternal coping strategies and supplementing social support may benefit the development of social‐independent functioning in young people with Down's syndrome.