Affectivity of children and young people with Down Syndrome: A study about parents and teachers perception

This article presents a research study on parents and teachers' perception on the affection of children and young people with Down Syndrome (DS). The theoretical contribution revealed, among other issues, that the emotional development of individuals with DS is related to language interferences determined from cultural and genetic influences. 69 parents and 51 teachers took part in the research. Information was collected through questionnaires, and data was processed by the use of the Tri-Deux-Mots. Although perceptions revealed positive and negative affection aspects, it was noticed a tendency to idealize individuals with DS, characterizing them as affectionate and docile people. It is emphasized that these individuals are essentially unique, with differences in personality traits, temperament and emotion expressions as any other individual who does not have the syndrome.