About Down Syndrome
Over the past 25 years Marieke de Vrij has increasingly been consulted by parents, family members and professional caretakers of persons with Down Syndrome. The insights and inspirations received during these numerous personal- and group-consultations, were also disseminated during lectures and seminars in the Netherlands, as well as in successive World Down Syndrome Congresses since 2009.
On this page you will find a number of English language papers that were produced for that purpose.
Online presentation by Marieke de Vrij at the Spiritual Health Care Down Syndrome Conference, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India, September 15 – 18, 2022
Down Syndrome: a special care but also a gift to mankind
by Marieke de Vrij
A revised version of the paper by Marieke de Vrij that was handed out to participants in 9th World Down Syndrome Congress in Dublin, Ireland, in 2009.
Down Syndrome: ‘dis’ abilities versus ‘other’ abilities. A paradigm shift and its implications for research, education and social participation
by Marleen Oosterhof – van der Poel, mental health psychologist and D. Flud van Giffen, anthropologist.
Paper presented at the 11th World Down Syndrome Congress in Cape Town, South Africa in 2012. The first part discusses shortcomings of the dominant theoretical and practical way of looking at Down Syndrome and an alternative framework is suggested. Two concrete examples are used to show the differences between these two paradigms as well as their implications for research and education.
Also presented and discussed at the Seminar Transnational Grundtvig UP4DOWNKIDS, Craiova-Romania, 12-13 October 2012.
Conclusions Follow-up study Talents Down Syndrome 2015
by Marleen Oosterhof – van der Poel, mental health psychologist and D. Flud van Giffen, anthropologist
Here an English summary of conclusions is presented of a study conducted as follow-up of the research reported in the paper for the 11th World Down Syndrome Congress in Cape Town, 2012. In the study, a large group of parents, healthcare professionals and teachers were requested to comment on this previous paper. They were then asked to indicate what they do and do not recognize in the behaviour of their own child/pupil with Down Syndrome. Additionally, we asked them if they could name any talents not mentioned in the paper. Suggestions for the further development of these talents were also invited.
Presentation World Down Syndrome Congress India, 2015
by Marleen Oosterhof – van der Poel, mental health psychologist and D. Flud van Giffen, anthropologist
This Lecture in India builds on the theoretical framework and research presented at the 11th World Down Syndrome Congress of 2012. In an exploratory study eleven abilities (so-called ‘being-oriented’ qualities or talents) were outlined and discussed. Respondents were asked to study the basic document and answer a set of questions about their experiences with these ‘other’ abilities of their own child. In this paper for the World Down Syndrome Congress in India, 2015, the results of this research are presented, with a special and more elaborate focus on four of these talents.
The Gift of Down: Development of Being. Unconditional love and Authenticity
by Tinke Bak
English version of an article published in the Dutch magazine Spiegelbeeld, May 2016. The author, Tinke Bak, is one of the Ambassadors for Down Syndrome & Intellectual Impairment within “De Vrije Mare”. Tinke is a professional engaged in disability care. She is presently writing a book about Down Syndrome in which she elaborates the vision presented above.