THE INFLUENCE OF DOWN'S SYNDROME ON SIBLING INTERACTION

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Abstract
Home observations were done on sibling interactions in 31 families with a child having Down''s syndrome and a non-handicapped sibling. The siblings with Down''s syndrome initiated less prosocial and agonistic behaviour, but imitated more frequently than their non-handicapped siblings. These effects were found regardless of birth order. There were no effects of gender. Higher levels of prosocial behaviours among large interval dyads and in dyads with a second-born Down''s syndrome child were primarily due to the age of the non-handicapped sibling. Results were similar to those in previous "normative" studies of sibling interactions.