Down Syndrome Myths

People with Down syndrome have unique characteristics that make one size fits all exercise regimen more harmful than good, BUT physical activity can be beneficial to individuals who have Down syndrome. While individuals with Down syndrome do generally have some physical limitations they can for the most part participate in most forms of physical activity that individuals without the disability can.

A person with downs syndrome has extra chromosome. The defect usually involves the twenty first chromosome. With this chromosome defect you do not develop like the average human being. With Down syndrome you have a short body stature and your face has a very broad profile, the most noticeable way to tell if someone has Down syndrome is their ears and their eyes are aligned differently than someone who doesn’t have downs syndrome. When you are growing up with Down’s syndrome your speech develops much slower and it is much harder to annunciate your words. some over time can develop great speech and some

. Down syndrome is not a disease that someone catches and is not caused by difficulties during the pregnancy, it is a genetic condition. This condition is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the body’s cells and causes a redundant amount of proteins to be formed. All cells of the body derive from a single cell formed by the fusion of a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg. Each cell carries a nucleus full of genetic material known as genes. These genes are inherited from both the mother and father. Each cell normally contains 46 pairs of chromosomes. 23 chromosomes come from one parent and 23 from the other, hence the 46 pairs. When it comes to children with down syndrome, one of the chromosomes does not separate properly and so the

Down syndrome occurs in people who were born with three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This extra genetic material is what brings about the effects of Down’s syndrome. It is often characterized by an impairment of cognitive (process of thought) ability. Most people with Down syndrome have lower than average, mild to moderate, cognitive ability and this cannot be predicted at birth. A smaller number fall into the severe impairment range. Physically, people with Down’s syndrome are smaller in stature, have less muscle tone, and have noticeably different facial features. The number of these births occurs approximately in one out of every one thousand (ndss.org). As of 2007, the number of people in the United States with Down syndrome stood at about 350,000. These numbers will shrink because now (most) potential parents can know the condition of the fetus early. This information is included to let the reader relate to the struggles that some with Down syndrome goes through.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that numerous individuals around the world suffer from; it is an intellectual disability that is caused by having one too many chromosome 21 copies, trisomy 21. The average person has two copies of chromosome 21 in each cell, whereas, an individual with Down syndrome has an extra copy of chromosome 21. This happens when either the sperm or egg cell undergoes atypical cell division during development. In the United States, there are approximately 400,000 individuals who have been diagnosed with Down syndrome, according to the last census in 2012 (National Down Syndrome Society).

Down Syndrome is the most common genetic disorder in the U.S., with one in 691 babies born with this genetic disorder. Estimates concerning the prevalence of ASD and Down syndrome among children and adults vary greatly, between 1 and 10 percent; however, George T. Capone, M.D., states that he believes 5 to 7 percent is an accurate estimate. This percentage is significantly higher than the 0.4 percent incidence of Down syndrome seen within the general population.

There are three types of types of Down syndrome, with the most prevalent one being Trisomy 21 (www.ndss.org). The other two are Translocation

I. Attention Getter: Approximately one in every 700 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, that makes approximately 6000 babies born each year with Down syndrome. Although physical and cognitive traits are affected by this genetic disorder, individuals can attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, have meaningful relationships, vote and contribute to society in many wonderful ways. II. Thesis: Down syndrome is the most common genetic disorder in the United States and it accounts for much of the learning disabilities found in children today (Staff 2014).

Children are our future; our future scientists, doctors, teachers, president and so much more. It is hard not to notice the number of young parents nowadays that have children. the average age range for mothers giving birth is 20-34. With the current up rise of babies being born to young mothers, I could not help but think about how age plays a factor into birth effects. Down syndrome is the most common single cause of human birth defects. The most common form of Down syndrome is known as trisomy 21, a genetic condition where individuals have 47 chromosomes in each cell instead of 46. Trisomy 21 is caused by an error in cell division called nondisjunction, which leaves a sperm or egg cell with an extra copy of chromosome 21 before or at conception.

Down syndrome doesn’t just show up during your life, you’re not going to just start noticing you have Down syndrome in the middle of your life or be diagnosed with it later on. You’re born with it; you have no way to get rid of it at any time. You can’t change it. Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition that is linked to intellectual disability. Each human should have 46 chromosomes, 23 from the father, and 23 from the mother. But whenever you have a child with Down syndrome they are born

Mental Health with people with down syndrome varies all depending on the age and developmental characteristics of the person who has down syndrome. Young people who have down syndrome would have trouble with: Language, communication skills, and non- verbal's. Adolescents who have down syndrome deal more with: Depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. Adults with down syndrome deal with: Depression, anxiety, and

FACT: Down syndrome is not rare. About 1 in every 700 babies is born with Down syndrome and more than 6000 babies are born with Down syndrome in the US each year.

There were specific misconceptions that I had on Down syndrome. First the unique characteristics of an individual. For example research stated that people Down's syndrome features are: flat facial features, small nose, upward slant of eye, small abnormally shaped ears, skin fold on back neck, and enlarge tongue that stick out (power point slide). Previously, I was aware that some people with Down syndrome shows atypical features, nevertheless I wasn't sure that everyone with this disorder have a dysfunction face features. Moreover, the normality of birth, is that a person is born with forty-six chromosomes, and a person with Down syndrome is born with forty-seven chromosomes-that extra one chromosome brings unfortunate face features. Second,

A person that has Down syndrome may have some physical problems or disabilities. Some common physical problems are: short necks, poor muscle tone, a small head and an overall smaller body. Approximately one third of babies born with Down syndrome have heart defects, most of which are now

Down syndrome was named after John Langdon Down, who was the first person to discover Down syndrome. In the earlier years it was called Mongolism, which is no longer used because it is offensive to the Mongolians. James N. Parker and Philip M. Parker state “Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder caused by an error in cell division that results in the presence of an additional third chromosome 21 or ‘trisomy 21’” (10). There are different types of Down Syndrome according to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), there is Trisomy 21, Mosaicism, and Translocation (What is Down syndrome?). There is no way to prevent having a baby with Down syndrome although chances increase as the woman gets older. The NDSS says, “A 35-year-old woman has about a 1 in 350 chance of conceiving a child with Down syndrome, and this chance increases gradually to 1 in 100 by age 40” (What is Down syndrome?). Although the risk is greater for older women, it is still possible to have a child with Down syndrome at a younger age.