The specificity and stability of task-related social behaviors in children
ages 5 to 12 was examined. Social behaviors during solvable and unsolvable
puzzles were compared among children with Down syndrome, children with ment
al retardation, and typically developing children matched on mental age (MA
). Compared to children without Down syndrome, those with the disorder look
ed to an adult and requested help more frequently. They also took longer to
complete the tasks. These findings suggest that the overuse of social beha
viors observed in young children with Down syndrome remains stable over the
early school years and are specific to children with Down syndrome.