Living in the community (Down's Syndrome): social competence and social self-esteem with particular reference to clothes

"First impressions count. Very few people give the disabled person a second chance". People react in different ways to those who look or seem different - different in respect of appearance, size, shape, dress, etc. Children with special needs are often different in terms of appearance, manner or odour, and some people are led to think of them negatively or to form adverse attitudes towards them. The aim of this Thesis is to shed some light on one skill from among many in "everyday living skills", namely, the taste in clothing and fashion of children with Down's Syndrome. The background of Down's Syndrome including physical characteristics, motor skill development and sensory discrimination is described in Chapter 1. The influence the appearance of children with Down's Syndrome has on their social skills and functioning is examined in Chapter 2, while the effect of reconstructive surgery and its possible advantages is examined in Chapter 3. Issues relating to clothing, human behaviour and clothing for the mentally retarded are discussed in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 outlines the methodology including population profile, data collection tools, and Chapter 6 states the hypothesis and assumptions. Fourteen Case Studies are discussed in Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 looks at home and school development for normal children aged 8 to 16 with partial cross reference to Down's Syndrome case studies. Chapter 9 includes the presentation and analysis of results, followed by the Discussion and Conclusions in Chapter 10.