The Efficiency of Motor Activities Programs in Fighting the Social Exclusion of Children and Young People with Down Syndrome

In Romania, there are a significant number of children and youth with Down syndrome. Most often, they are labelled as "handicapped" and, consequently, they are prevented from joining shared activities with the "normal" children and they are marginalized. There are some cases where the family itself is the one that isolates these children, because they feel they are blamed by society and, in order to protect themselves as well as the child, they just keep the child at home. Society is actually the one to blame for this and people's mentality should change. This study is part of a more ample research, carried out within the PEH016 project, "Strategies for the future, strategies for the youth" and its objective is to analyze the efficiency of motor activities programs with regard to fighting the social exclusion of children and youth with Down syndrome. The degree of efficiency of these programs, as well as the potential identification of new elements that could increase the efficiency of the social inclusion strategies for this disadvantaged category, are the priority of this study. The results of the analysis will provide information regarding the practicability of these programs, the new intervention resources and will be able to emphasize new ways of institutional involvement.



Keywords: Down syndrome, disabilities, marginalization, social integration, motor activities