The Efficacy Of Friendships For Children And Teenagers

One significant factor in friendships for all children and teenagers is the ability to relate to each other on the basis of mutual understanding and one or more common interests. Several studies (Buckley, Bird, Sacks, & Archer, 2006; Cuckle & Wilson, 2002; Dolva, Hemmingsson, Gustavsson, & Borell, 2010; Fox, Farrell, & Davis, 2004) of children with Down syndrome in both primary and secondary education recognise the value of equal interaction and a shared enjoyment of activities inside and outside of the classroom throughout the school day. In a research study by Buckley et al (2006) 18 mainstream students and 28 special education students with Down syndrome were compared to detect if there was a variation in skills associated with socialisation, …show more content…
A change in friendship dynamics was observed by D’Haem (2008) during a five year study following three students with developmental disabilities. The aim of this longitudinal investigation was to record the efficacy of “Circle of Friends” groups established by D’Haem. “Circle of Friends” is a concept that aims to create adult-facilitated peer support networks for children with disabilities in mainstream education (Circle of Friends, n.d; Inclusive Solutions, 2012). In all of the cases followed throughout this study the circles were disbanded prior to members entering secondary school; D’Haem hypothesised that contributing factors in the groups’ discontinuation included students being unable to meet during class time, a decline in interest from typically-developing peers, and the now-teenaged peers’ desire for less adult-facilitated interaction. Two families chose to withdraw their children from the case study and the remaining participant was assisted in creating a community-based friends group instead. This new group proved to be very effective, potentially due to participants having shared interests, which as previously discussed, is an important factor when developing social relationships. This study predominantly focused on the eventual success of community based groups; although it highlighted that the friendship groups through primary school produced more positive results, the research lacked explicit details on comparisons between primary and secondary school settings. The small size of the study, and fact that two-thirds of the participants withdrew are also weaknesses. Despite the limitations observed here, a more in-depth study (Cuckle & Wilson, 2002) also found a corresponding dynamic between age and the ability to sustain friendships. This study focussed