Fraternal interaction when a sibling has Down syndrome: an observational study

• Autor(a) principal: Almeida, Bruna Rocha de
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Pereira-Silva, Nara Liana
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Educação Especial (UFSM)
• Texto Completo: http://periodicos.ufsm.br/educacaoespecial/article/view/22874
• topic: Sibling relationship; Down syndrome; Observational methodology; relação fraternal; síndrome de Down; metodologia observacional

The quality of interaction between siblings has been investigated for more than three decades. However, few studies focus on the dyad between a sibling with Down syndrome – sibling with typical development, especially in Brazil. This study aimed to describe the interaction among nine dyads of siblings, between four and 13 years old, in which one of them has Down syndrome.  In the households of the dyads, 27 sessions of behavioral observation were recorded, totaling 216 minutes. The analysis of the interactions focused on content and quality of the episodes as well as the behavioral categories of command and responsiveness. The dyads engaged primarily in leisure activities, 'Jointly', with ‘Friendliness’ and 'Synchronicity'. The interactions had 'Supervision', 'Leadership' and command behaviors that were issued by the sibling with typical development. It can be said that in these families, fraternal interaction is characterized by the asymmetry of roles and positivity, not being harmed by the presence of the sibling with Down syndrome.