Down Syndrome

1087 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Conclusions of down syndrome

Down Syndrome

Have you ever been in a situation where you were confronted by a child who has Down Syndrome and were unsure of how to act around that child? I'm sure many of us have experienced the awkwardness that accompanies such a situation. Many people feel guilt or pity for these children, I believe these reactions result from a lack of knowledge about the condition. Which is why I have chosen this topic.

Down Syndrome is a condition that cannot be physically passed on from one person to the next. It is a genetic disorder that is inherited through our parents when something goes wrong during pregnancy. As a result, they have a combination of features typical of Down Syndrome, including some degree of cognitive disability, as well as other developmental delays. One thing we should always keep in mind is that they are children and having Down Syndrome comes second.

In 1866 British doctor John Langdon Down defined and described the characteristic symptoms of Down Syndrome but was unsure of the cause. It wasn't until 1959 that Dr. Lejeunne and his team in Paris showed that people with Down Syndrome have an additional chromosome. We normally have 23 pairs of chromosomes, each made up of genes. The cells of people with Down Syndrome include three chromosome #21 instead of two. The extra 21st chromosome causes an extra dose of proteins. These proteins cause the typical features of Down Syndrome. While the fetus with Down Syndrome is developing, its body cells do not reproduce as fast as usual. That is the main reason why these babies are smaller than average after birth and their brain not as big as those of other newborn children.

A child who has Down Syndrome will have exclusive individual characteristics which they have inherited from their parents. The child may resemble their father, mother, grandmother, or aunt. This is true not only for their outward appearance but also for their temperament and physical and intellectual abilities. Children with Down Syndrome have different traits, for instance some can be easy-going while other are stubborn, some may like music while others show no interest. matter what, each of these children are unique and special in their own way.

Children with Down Syndrome have distinct physical characteristics. They are short in stature and have a small, round face with a high flattened ...

... middle of paper ...

...y studies I have found Down Syndrome to be a rare, yet present condition that can be found in all parts of the world. Most people might look at the individual infected and tell themselves how lucky they are , not to have to go through what most of them do. But tell me this, how many will actually take the time to better understand the situation and actually see what makes them who they are? It's human nature to ignore or criticize the unknown, this will always be true to a certain point. Just as the truth will always remain the same, in that these people are beautiful human beings that deserve the same respect and rights as anyone else.

Works Cited

Down Syndrome Awareness Foundation. ?Facts About Down Syndrome? 27 July, 2007.

http://www.downsyndromeawarenessfoundation.com/wsnE154.html

Hudler, Rex & Jennifer. ?About Down Syndrome? Team Up For Down Syndrome. 27 July, 2007. http://www.teamupfordownsyndrome.org/aboutDS.html

Van Riper, Marcia. ?Living with Down Syndrome: The Family Experience.? Down Syndrome Quarterly. Volume 4, Number 1 March 2005. http://www.denison.edu/dsq/vanriper.shtml

Works, Lee. ?Diagnosis Down Syndrome? 1 July, 2002. http://leeworks.net/DDS/

Show More
Related

  • Self-Recognition in Toddlers

    1906 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mans, L., Cicchetti, D., & Sroufe, L. (1978). Mirror reactions of Down's syndrome infants and toddlers: Cognitive underpinnings of self-recognition. Child Development, 49(4), 1247-1250. doi:10.2307/1128771

    Read More

  • Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation) Explored in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

    2625 Words  | 6 Pages

    "Down syndrome." South African Medical Journal 101.1 (2011): 6. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Vertical Identity In Andrew Solomon's Far From The Tree

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    Having Down Syndrome is a Horizontal identity. Most Americans view people with Down’s to be disabled and do not thing much past that. But, many people with Down’s see this simply as a part of who they are, just as much as the color of their eyes. To them, it is not a disability, but just a fact of life. Many outsiders do not understand this, which is why the Down’s community is so important. The Down’s community provides those with Down’s acceptance to their identity. While the rest of society rejects and pities them, within their community they can relate with others and be treated equally. Unlike with vertical identities where the parents are automatically insiders, parents must choose to whether or not to support their children’s horizontal identities. Some parents choose not to accept Down’s before the child is born and terminate the pregnancy while others do their best to make sure their child is comfortable in the world. Again, in more recent years, there are movements for society to be more educated and inclusive for those with Down Syndrome, but there is still a long way to go.

    Read More

  • Will My Child be Okay at a Summer Camp?

    2388 Words  | 5 Pages

    Having accredited camps that blend children with and without disabilities provides an opportunity for new friendships to form and families to attend camp together. At Kamp A-Kom-Plish in Southern Maryland is where Tiffani Sterling-Davis sent her three children. Alayna and Julian checked into camp with sister Breanna, 11, who has Down syndrome.

    Read More

  • Peanut Butter Falcon

    1875 Words  | 4 Pages

    My preconceived ideas before watching the film were no different than after watching the film. I grew up interacting with people that have Down syndrome and they are some of the happiest people who have such a positive outlook on life. I see them as human, able to fit in and function as a valuable asset to our society. It is disgusting how Zak was treated by Glen, the manager of the nursing home, and by the kid taunting him to jump into the lake. This just validates the fact that there are bullies in our world, and people with disabilities often become easy targets.

    Read More

  • Down Syndrome Children: Is Their Play Appropriate for the Environment?

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    From society's perspective, Down syndrome children have become a serious complication in the world. Disabled children with special needs like Down syndrome are not given the directed attention needed for appropriate treatment. In 1862, John Langdon Down characterized Down syndrome as a separate form of mental disability but he broadened his research in 1866. By the 20th century, Downs has become the most recognizable form of mental disability in the world because of the physical characteristics that distinguish their disability (Patterson, 137). Some symptoms include a small-flattened face, bowlegs in some cases, and generally, their tongue is too big for their mouth so it usually hangs outside of their mouth as well as other physical characteristics exemplifies a Down syndrome child (Wedro). Down syndrome, Downs or DS, occurs in children who have an "extra copy of chromosome 21." Ninety-five percent of Down syndrome cases are Trisomy 21 (nondisjunction), four percent are translocation, and one percent is mosaicism. There are roughly 400,000 cases of Downs in the United States toda...

    Read More

  • Understanding Down Syndrome: Causes and Health Issues

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    Down syndrome is a very common disorder now a day’s, but not many know what it actually is. Down syndrome was a topic that was not as common back in that day. “John Langdon Down, an English physician, published an accurate description of a person with Down syndrome. It was this scholarly

    Read More

  • Benjamin Isaac Rhetoric

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    For this discussion, I chose Benjamin Isaac’s video of 2014. Benjamin Isaac is a doctor of education student from Georgia. He created the video as an aftermath of inspiration by his daughter who has cerebral palsy. In the video, he shows these children who have special needs. The proceeds he gets from this video will be handed to Josey Comprehensive High School.

    Read More

  • Down Syndrome

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    Down syndrome is a genetic disorder, associated with the presence of an extra chromosome. Downs is characterized by mild to severe mental impairment, weak muscle tone, shorter stature, and a flattened face. Down syndrome is not a very common disease, one in every 691 children are born with Down syndrome. The disability is an illness that people are born with and is not contagious. Most people with Downs have a life expectancy of about 40 or 50 years of age. They only live for that short amount of time because they begin to develop a similar disease to Alzheimer’s. “100% of people with Down syndrome will develop some physiologic signs of Alzheimer’s when they are over 35 years old in the U.S” (Statistics about Down Syndrome). They also die earlier because having Down syndrome increases the risk of leukemia 15-20 times in the US. Therefore most people with Downs will die because of leukemia or heart problems before the age of 50.

    Read More

  • Language Development in Individuals with Down Syndrome

    2336 Words  | 5 Pages

    "Having Down syndrome is like being born normal. I am just like you and you are just like me. We are all born in different ways, that is the way I can describe it. I have a normal life"(Burke, C., n.d.). Where special education is concerned, one must always remember that exceptional learners are different, not less. In the following studies, the various strengths and weaknesses of the language and communication of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) is reviewed and discussed.

    Read More

  • College Essay On Down Syndrome

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    Yvonne Pierre, a great author, once said, “When you focus on someone's disability you'll overlook their abilities, beauty and uniqueness. Once you learn to accept and love them for who they are, you subconsciously learn to love yourself unconditionally”. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines intellectual disability as having significantly sub average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the development period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance (partnerstx.org, 2015). Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21 as well as intellectual disability, is defined as a genetic condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of 46.

    Read More

  • Reflection On Ableism

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    I had a classmate that had cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair. I did not feel any way about her because I did not know that she had cerebral palsy until she told me. I treated her like she was a normal person, but other people in my class feelings towards her were not so nice. She was would always ask questions in the class because she had struggles and people in the classroom would yell at her. They say come on you ask so many questions, but she never bothered me. The feelings that come up when I am around people who are disabilities like blind, deaf, cerebral palsy, are obese, and etc. is I do not feel any different when I am around someone who does not have a disability. I think that people with disabilities are normal. People who disabilities should feel like they are not different from me or another person in this world. They might have severe struggles; we should not judge someone on the struggles they have. People who disabilities describe themselves as “invisible” because people just pretend that they are not there. People tend to ignore them when they see people disabilities in public with disabilities. The words my family and community use to refer to the above groups of people is disabled because we had a family friend who was disabled. My parents hated when we or people we knew used the word “mental retardation” or just

    Read More

  • Educating a Child With Down Syndrome

    3251 Words  | 7 Pages

    Down Syndrome Education Online -. Education online. 1996-2013. Web. The Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • Brief Summary

    507 Words  | 2 Pages

    500 parents of children with Down syndrome were originally sent invitation letters, while 363 chose to complete one of two versions of a questionnaire (Povee et.al., 2012). This was narrowed down to 224 parents of children with Down syndrome who completed the long version of the form and had children between the ages of 4-25 years old. Family factors of marital status, financial status, and education were noted. The ages of the children had a mean of 13.68 years and were 57% male (Povee et. al., 2012). Researchers were given ethical approval by Princess Margaret Hospital Ethics committee for the study. The variables studied included marital adjustment, family functioning and maladaptive behavior, while controlled variables included age, gender, functional ability of the child with Down syndrome, and the SES of the family (Povee et.al., 2012). Participates completed a multidimensional questionnaire about medical, educational, social, functional status, and needs of children and young adults with Down Syndrome. Results were provided in four tables, one figure and in written

    Read More

  • Down Syndrome Argumentative Essay

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine coming into 4th grade on the first day of school and having the other children look at you funny and not understanding why. Nothing is more devastating than when you are excited to make friends and interact with the other children, but when the teacher hands out assignments and tells everyone to get in small groups, and you are excluded and have to work by yourself or with a teaching assistant. This is what it is like to be a 4th grader with Down syndrome.

    Read More

More about Down Syndrome

Open Document