Social communication skills in young adults with Down Syndrome who are in employment

Abstract

Research has shown that the adult achievement of a person with learning difficulties is highly dependent on social communication skills rather than academic skills. Social communication skills are needed to help individuals in their everyday lives at home, at work, and in the community. Social communication skills deserve investigation since working individuals with Down Syndrome who are part of a community need to be able to ask for help, communicate, follow instructions, and socialize with co-workers (Pueschel, 2006). The preliminary part of this study investigated social communication skills of adults with Down Syndrome, investigating the skills they had before employment and the skills developed during employment. In order to understand the effect of employment on the participants' lives, the research looked at their social communication skills as well as their individual workplace experiences. Four case studies on such adults aged between 23 and 32 years were carried out. The Personal Communication Plan (Hitchings & Spence, 1991) was used to explore the participants’ social communication skills. This plan was completed by the researcher and one guardian for each participant. An interview with each participant was also conducted. The qualitative data was tabulated, and eight major themes emerged from thematic analysis. Results indicate that the social communication skills demonstrated by the participants at the workplace allowed them to function adequately both at work and elsewhere.