Health Concerns Remain A Stressor For Parents Of Children With Down Syndrome

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

Discovering you are pregnant with a child is supposed to be one of the best days of your life, but finding out your baby has the one extra 21st chromosome could change everything. Author and national correspondent for the New York Times, Amy Harmon, fights for children and families affected by the disease in her article, “Prenatal Test Puts Down Syndrome in Hard Focus.” Harmon recognizes in her article that raising a child with this disease is not easy. She provides evidence of this by including quotes and personal stories from parents and family members whose loved ones are affected by it. She illustrates a genuine passion for the growing number of parents that are “Convinced that more couples would chose to continue the pregnancies if they better appreciated what it meant to raise a child with Down syndrome”(Harmon). To better put it in perspective, an estimated 90% of women chose to have an abortion if they are given a positive diagnosis for Down syndrome.

Kristen Isgro highlights the challenges that the mothers and caregivers go through on a daily basis. Three groups of women, ages ranging from 33 to 66 and all having a child with Down syndrome, discussing the issues such as how they advocate for their children. They also discuss what they have learned from experience dealing with health care providers and educators, and deal with how their children are viewed in different settings.

The acquisition of language is essential to the development of a child. Though some children are born genetically mutated, specifically children with Down’s syndrome, the capabilities of acquiring language during developmental markers is far less than a child with just 21 chromosomes. Parents and/or guardians of infants and toddlers with Down’s syndrome believe that their child will one day be able to verbally communicate with them. They presume the possibility, but does research support their beliefs? For the purpose of this paper, the child from infancy through three-years old will be discussed in regards to the developmental domain that are affected by Down’s syndrome. The undeniable assumption is if an institution provides early intervention for an infant or toddler with Down’s syndrome, then that child’s social-emotional and language will be affected.

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).

Parenting a child with Down syndrome can be as rewarding as parenting a child without disability. Consideration also needs to be given to the cost of raising a child with Down syndrome. The National Down Syndrome Society state children with Down syndrome are now living longer lives and may require specialized education, increased medical costs due to heart abnormalities, and long term physical rehabilitation due to the generalized weaknesses related to weak muscle tone. There is a substantial cost factor to consider when raising a child with Down

I know a few people who all deal with different things in their lives. One thing that sticks out that I see a lot in real life and with movies is Down Syndrome. I know some people who deal with down syndrome on a daily base. I won't be naming anyone. With this paper I will go through the six theoretical models. I must say with writing this paper I will try to not say the person's name, but sometimes my typing gets ahead of me.

There are several issues related to parental reactions to having a child with a disability. Having a child with a disability can have an effect on family dynamics as well as a change in work habits, some parents have to work fewer hours, change jobs, or become a stay at home parent in order to properly care for their child’s needs. Parents cope with their guilt, feelings, and public reactions

I spent my evenings researching how to raise a child with Down syndrome and there were a lot of facts that helped guide me. One very important advice was to never spoil my child for spoiling my child can have negative consequences such as my other child becoming jealous and my child with Down syndrome not able to develop independence and self esteem (Selikowitz, M., 2008). It is also recommended to involve the class teacher as much as possible, speaking to the teacher to request if he or she would be willing to speak positively about disabilities, which may provide a mutual support among classmates (Selikowitz, M.,

A small group of students, 2 girls and 8 boys, with Down syndrome were recruited to participate in a case study. The students, ranging in age from 6-10 years, attended a mainstream elementary school and received support from a teaching assistant throughout the day. All of the students who were apart of the study had previously received intensive reading and language interventions.

The older person with Down syndrome has similar needs of those of the typical developing older adult. They tend to be lonely and may require supported living. They seem isolated from the world and may not receive regular contact with their family, co-workers or friends as they used because of loss of mobility. The older adult with Down syndrome commonly suffers from Alzheimer’s which can lead to stress on the family. Also the older adult with Down syndrome does not deal with bereavement loss very well because of the close attachment and bond they establish with people. Some older people with Down syndrome may continue attending the community centre, lunch clubs, church groups or other volunteering that may get them out into the community to interact with

Normally, there are 46 chromosomes in each cell. While in DS case, 47 chromosomes are present in their cells, particularly excess copy of 21st chromosome (Down Syndrome Australia). The extra copy can lead to some degree of physical characteristics like hearing deficits, poor muscle tone or loose joints, developmental delay specifically language, and some degree of intellectual disability which affects learning (Tracy, 2011). The comparison of life expectancy is much longer now compared before. In 1950 the life expectancy for a person with DS was 15 years in Australia. However, by 2011 this had increased to 60 (Tracy, 2011). One barrier that will face of this man is the society’s attitude and stigma towards them. It is hard to be included in the community because they are already marginalised and often experience care in segregated settings (Down Syndrome Australia). Another challenge is living in a group home where the significant other is not available and self-management is difficult because of tight daily structure, with share meals and seeing people eating is likely to be a temptation for them (Cardol, Rijken, & Van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk, 2012). This health issue is incurable and present in person’s whole life. This may have negative impact on psychological well-being and physical health of a person so acceptance and support inclusion in society are pivotal

Finally, learning that a new born baby has down syndrome is not easy to face, the parents will face and experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. While handles the diagnosis of a child with a disability. Some parents will experience fear and concerns. It is natural to experience denial, anger, depression, and other stages of grief as adjust the news that the baby has Down syndrome. Most importantly, there are many sources of support available for the new

Down syndrome can have a huge impact on parents due to the stress and struggles that come along with raising a child with a developmental disorder. These disorders require much more caregiving demands from the parents, which can cause the increased stress levels (Brinker et al., 1994). Surveys done by parents of children with developmental disorders reported having bad attitudes, more health issues, increase in time demands, and being overprotective (Brinker, Seifer, & Sameroff, 1994). This is why families are recommended to have an intervention team to help relieve some of the stress off of the parents. The goal of the family and intervention team is to create a plan that will benefit the child and the rest of the family (Brinker et al., 1994).

According to the article, “Children With Down Syndrome: Implications for Assessment and Intervention in the School,” Andrew S. Davis reviews the etiology of Down syndrome, the developmental course during adolescent years, and the neurocognitive issues that should be addressed during a psychoeducational assessment.