READING IN THE DAILY LIFE OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Abstract

It analyzes the participation of the family or guardians in the development of the reading capacity of children with Down syndrome, aged between 5 and 11 years old. These children are attending the second to fifth year of elementary school. People with Down syndrome have cognitive impairment and, consequently, slower reasoning. It is this position that makes us re-edit the problem question proposed by Souza, in 2017 - “The absence of works on Down syndrome that discuss literacy issues makes us reflect: to what extent has the constitution of the person with Down syndrome been considered as a reader? More specifically, what is the participation of the family or those responsible for these children in training them as readers? This is the question we bring to the context of the city of Goiânia, for users of the Down Syndrome Association library. The research is exploratory, with a qualitative approach. As a data collection instrument, questionnaires sent to six mothers and fathers or guardians of children who attend and/or perform activities at the AsDown Library were used. The results reveal families that encourage their children in the process of acquiring reading since they were babies. Despite the difficulties present in language acquisition and cognitive limitations, those responsible believe that investing in reading helps their children to live in society and understand the world around them. It is concluded that the child with DS, from the perspective of those responsible for them, can become a reader based on their understanding, and the creative ability to imagine a plot for certain images expressed on the pages of the book.