Este trabalho buscou investigar a manifestação da afetividade em crianças e jovens com síndrome de Down (SD) e a percepção de pais e educadores quanto à sua expressão no comportamento e nas atividades sociais. Participaram 70 pessoas com SD, na faixa etária de 4 a 26 anos. Os instrumentos utilizados foram questionários sobre percepção da afetividade, aplicados aos pais e professores, e o Zulliger, avaliando os indivíduos com SD. Os dados dos questionários foram analisados pelo programa Tri-deux-Mots, e o Zulliger foi avaliado buscando caracterizar os aspectos da afetividade, com base no método de Klopfer. Pelo Tri-deux-mots, observou-se que tanto no comportamento afetivo como no relacionamento com o outro os sujeitos com SD expressam sua afetividade mediante características positivas e negativas. O Zulliger possibilitou elementos iniciais, no entanto é preciso estudos futuros para investigar o motivo das respostas não estarem direcionadas às categorias relacionadas à afetividade.

This work intended to investigate the expression of the affectivity among children and young people with down syndrome and also the perception that parents and educators have of this expression in the behaviour and social activities. Seventy people with down syndrome took part in the research, in the age group from 04 to 26 years old. In terms of the instruments, questionnaires concerning the perception of the affectivity were applied to parents and teachers, and the Zulliger was used to assess the individuals with down syndrome. The data from the questionnaires were analyzed by the program Tri-deux-Mots, and the Zulliger, based on the method of Klopfer, was evaluated with the intention of describing the aspects of the affectivity. By the use of the Tri-deux-Mots, it was noticed that, both in the affectional behaviour and the relationship with the other, the subjects with Down Syndrome express their affectivity through positive and negative characteristics. The Zulliger created the possibility of some elements, however future studies are needed in order to investigate the reason why the answers are not directed to the categories concerning the affectivity.