Parents and Educators’ Perceptions on Recreational Sporting Activities’ Practice and Its Effects on Down Syndrome Children’s

Abstract

The aim of the current study is to explore the importance of recreational sporting activities’ practice in developing social interactions of children with Down syndrome, and in maintaining communication, participation, teamwork, and socialization from parents and educators’ perceptions. A descriptive approach has been deployed and a sample of 45 parents and 30 educators of children with Down syndrome were randomly selected from the psychological and pedagogical centre for children with mental disabilities, and from the association of El-Wafaa and scholastic and professional integration for trisomy 21 and autism children in Algeria. The results revealed that there is a statistical significance for recreational sports activities’ practice. The results suggest that the practice of recreational sports activities has a positive effect on the social interactions of children with Down syndrome, as confirmed by parents and educators.