Essay On Down Syndrome

2529 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Discrimination against mentally and physically challenged

Bailey Lauder Professor Christi Thomsen Biology 1060 17 April 2014 It is a well known fact that all living things, humans included, are made up of cells. The nucleus of a typical cell in the human body is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes. Half of the pairs come from each parent. In some individuals there is a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21 present; these individuals have Down Syndrome (National Down Syndrome Society). Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder that most people know very little about. Since Down Syndrome is something that very few people know much about, this paper will include a lot of information about the disorder that is not well known to the general public. In this paper I will discuss what exactly Down Syndrome is and provide background information and history, describe how and when the disorder is diagnosed, provide insight of what life is like for a person with Down Syndrome and I will do my best to clear up many misconceptions that people often have about individuals with Down Syndrome. As mentioned in the introduction, Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21. The extra genetic material is typically responsible for the alteration of physical development. Some of the most common physical traits of Down Syndrome are distinct facial features such as a upward slanting almond shaped eyes, a seemingly flattened face, a tongue that tends to stick out, and small ears. Some of the other physical traits that are sometimes present are short stature, poor muscle tone, and a crease across the palm of the hand (CDC). Due to the poor muscle tone in their bodies, people who have Down Syndrome are more susceptible to conditions such as obesity and sleep apnea... ... middle of paper ... ... with Down Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities gain acceptance. People with Down Syndrome are just as important as you and me and I for one am excited that the scientific community is making such great advances involving the research, treatment and improvement of the lives of individuals with this and other cognitive disabilities. This cause is important to me because as a Disability Studies major, I am strongly committed to equal treatment and understanding of people with special needs. I work at an agency that provides recreational and educational opportunities for people with a variety of disabilities and conditions and I love what I do. I am convinced that with further scientific research and more people spreading awareness there will be a day where all individuals with different conditions will be entirely accepted and socially included.

Show More
Related

  • Rosie Anaya's Article 'The Best Kept Secret On Campus'

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    Disability in our day in age is seen as being worse than death. People with disabilities should not feel like they don 't belong. They are just like everyone else and want to be treated like everyone else. Many without disabilities think that it can be contagious and stray to even look at people with disability. This is not the case for it 's not contagious and one should not be seen as a different person just because of their disability. They didn 't choose that life and shouldn 't be mistreated for what they are. “People with disability should be treated equally to everyone else.”

    Read More

  • A Word And My Family's Battle Rhetorical Argument

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Patricia Bauer was a former Washington post reporter and one of the founders of the UCLA, a school for young adults with intellectual disabilities, although she gains most of her knowledge on the topic from raising a daughter with Down Syndrome. This article was originally published in The Washington Post, one of the most circulates newspapers in America. When this article came out in August of 2008, two major things were happening concerning mental disabled people. The first was a movie that came out

    Read More

  • Making And Remaking On City Road

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    ‘“Now it’s my turn to make it better for generations that come after, which is why I’ve become, involved in disabilities issues”’ (Open University, 2016a).

    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

  • Overview of Down Syndrome

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    “About 13 of every 10,000 babies born in the United States each year is born with Down syndrome. It affects an equal number of male and female babies” (Johnson P. A. 2014). Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that found across the world, however it is more prevalent in the United States. The cause of the disorder roots to the paring of the human chromosomes. A normal human receives 23 pairs of chromosomes, each pair coming from mother and father. In Down syndrome most people affected have an abnormal cell division of the chromosome. Both parents are carriers of the There are three types of variations that includes trisomy 21, mosaic, and translocation.

    Read More

  • Down Syndrome Essay

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many disorders or syndromes that cause people to behave and act differently than others. Out of all these syndromes, I picked one of them. This is a very rare syndrome and an estimate of 4% of children in the U.S. have it. It is known as the translocation down syndrome. Translocation down syndrome is a type of down syndrome caused by rearranged chromosome material. A child with translocation down syndrome has 3 #21 chromosomes instead of the two pairs. Here,one of the chromosomes is attached to another and the extra chromosome is what causes the health problems is what causes the health problems associated with the disorder known as down syndrome.

    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

  • The Effects of Down Syndrome

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    An individual who has Down syndrome can be recognized as different from others since he or she have different physical features, but the question is, what causes individuals to have deformed face, little different features than someone who does not have Down syndrome? The reason some individuals are born with Down syndrome is because of an extra chromosome, this chromosome, which carries number 21. It is also known as Trisomy 21. Having this sort of disability, does not truly affect their life in a way they are not able to live, but it affects their cognitive levels, their physical growth of the child with Down syndrome. As the mother goes for an ultra sound, doctors can detect that the child within the mother’s womb has Down syndrome. (1) Mothers over age 35 have higher risk of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome, and 1 in every 1,000 women at the age of 30. In addition, in every 100 women, who age 40 there is a mother has a child with this case. As woman ages there is a higher chance of conceiving a child with Down syndrome than a woman who is in her mid-20s or younger. (2) This essay will highlight the effects and supports of Down syndrome in children.

    Read More

  • Down Syndrome

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Down Syndrome

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people believe, from common knowledge, that having a Down syndrome cannot be prevented and that it is genetic. This was proved w...

    Read More

  • Raising a Child with a Disability

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    Children with disabilities are more in the public eye than years ago, although they are still treated differently. Our society treats them differently from lack of education on special needs. The society labels them and make their lives more difficult than it has to be becau...

    Read More

  • Discrimination Against People With Disabilities

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whether born from ignorance, fear, misunderstanding, or hate, society’s attitudes limit people from experiencing and appreciating the full potential a person with a disability can achieve. This treatment is unfair, unnecessary, and against the law (Purdie). Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in the country today. Essential changes are needed in society’s basic outlook in order for people with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to succeed in life. To begin with, full inclusion in the education system for people with disabilities should be the first of many steps that are needed to correct the social injustices that people with disabilities currently face.

    Read More

  • Disability Rights Essay

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    Disability: Any person who has a mental or physical deterioration that initially limits one or more major everyday life activities. Millions of people all over the world, are faced with discrimination, the con of being unprotected by the law, and are not able to participate in the human rights everyone is meant to have. For hundreds of years, humans with disabilities are constantly referred to as different, retarded, or weird. They have been stripped of their basic human rights; born free and are equal in dignity and rights, have the right to life, shall not be a victim of torture or cruelty, right to own property, free in opinion and expression, freedom of taking part in government, right in general education, and right of employment opportunities. Once the 20th century

    Read More

  • Disability Reflection Paper

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have always grown up in a more ‘normal’ setting and seeing people with disabilities was something that was rare to me. When I was younger, my thoughts on people with disabilities were that they could only be physically seen, nothing else (mentally, intellectually, etc.). As I reached middle school, I realized how broad the world is and how many ways people were affected by disabilities. Some of them led a more normal life and some have a harder time adjusting. Just seeing and reading how so many are affected and how harder it is for them really opened up my mind and allowed me to have a wider perception of how broad things are in the world.

    Read More

More about Essay On Down Syndrome

Open Document