preview

Down Syndrome Informative Speech

Decent Essays
Open Document

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about two different ways children can be born with Down Syndrome.
Central Idea: Today, I would like to talk about two different ways a child can be born with Down Syndrome, and why the difference between the two is important.

Introduction:
I. Matthew’s birth was the same as many of our own.
A. But there was something different about him from the very start. B. That difference is that Matthew was born with a specific kind of Down Syndrome.
II. Having a cousin with Down Syndrome sparked my interest, and after researching I have learned that the two most common ways people are born with Down Syndrome differ in one important way.
III. Today, I’d like to explain what Down Syndrome is, the two …show more content…

We get half our genetic information from our mother, and half from our father.
1. A normal child has 23 pairs of chromosomes
2. But a child with Down Syndrome has 3 copies of the 21st chromosome (trisomy 21)
B. Down Syndrome is the most common genetic disorder- 1 in every 691 children born in the U.S. has it, according to the National Down Syndrome Society
C. Down Syndrome symptoms: mild to moderate mental disability, stunted growth, low muscle tone, and thyroid issues, higher risk for Alzheimer’s and heart failure. (Genetic Disorders Sourcebook, Third Edition)
(Transition: Now that you know what Down Syndrome is, let’s look at the 2 most common ways Trisomy 21 occurs.)
II. There is more than one way to acquire the extra 21st chromosome that causes Down Syndrome (we’ll talk about the 2 most common)
A. Most people born with Down Syndrome have it because of a faulty cell division called a nondisjunction.
1. Nondisjunction happens when a pair of 21 chromosomes fail to separate, resulting in the three 21 chromosomes.
2. The total number of chromosomes= 47
B. According to the Genetic Disorders Sourcebook, Third Edition, 3-4% of Children with Downs Syndrome get it as the result of a gene …show more content…

A gene translocation occurs when part of chromosome 21 breaks off during cell division and attaches to another chromosome, according to the NDSS. (slide 3)
2. The because 2 chromosomes are connected, the total number of chromosomes remains 46, but the child still has an extra 21st chromosome
3. The other chromosome involved in the translocation can be a few different chromosomes. (For Matthew, it is the 22nd chromosome).
(Transition: Now that you know the difference between translocation and nondisjunction, you may be wondering why it matters. Let me tell you.)
III. There is one important difference between gene translocations and disjunctions.
A. It is not the child itself- Matthew is indistinguishable from other kids with Down Syndrome.
B. The difference is that according to the NDSS, in 1/3rd of the cases of translocations (including Matthew’s), there is a hereditary component.
1. Matthew’s mother was a carrier of the translocation. (slide 3)
a. Her 21st and 22nd chromosomes are attached, so she only technically has 45 chromosomes.
b. She doesn’t have Downs because there are still only 2 copies of the 21st.
c. Because she is a carrier, other people in my family are likely to be carriers as

Get Access
Related
Get Access