Personal Narrative: Down's Syndrome

Down Syndrome affects many people, even those who don’t have it. Down syndrome is also called Trisomy 21. The term Down syndrome did not become the accepted term until the early 1970’s (“History of NADS”). Down syndrome is the most common genetic condition, almost 400,000 Americans have Down syndrome (“What Is Down Syndrome?”). When the 21st chromosome has an extra copy, full or partial, down syndrome will occur. With the extra genetic material it messes with the development physically and mentally. It also creates certain features connected with Down Syndrome. Some of the well known features are low muscle tone, small stature, upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm (“What Is Down Syndrome?”). These features and their extent can vary from person to person, some may not even have any at all. One in every 691 babies born in the United States has Down syndrome, about 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome each year in the United States (“What Is Down Syndrome?”). Just like the physical features the medical problems associated with Down syndrome vary from person to person, some may need a lot while others may need little to none. The health problem can be treated with the many resources available to help the people with Down syndrome and their families.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is based on the Neurodevelopmental Disorder: Down Syndrome. This movie is based in the early sixties, a time when people looked at this disorder as a disgrace. In the sixties, Down Syndrome was known as mongolism, and the people who acquired this disorder were known as Mongolian’s or Mongols. Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder in which there is an extra copy of chromosome 21. Down Syndrome individuals have a very distinct facial feature, developmental delays, and some intellectual disabilities.

Children born to older parents are at greater risk for genetic abnormalities, such as Down syndrome. No one knows what causes the chromosomal abnormality that results in Down syndrome, a condition according to the National Association for Down syndrome, affects one in 800 to 1,000 babies in the United States. Any woman regardless of her culture, race and socio-economic status can have a baby with Down syndrome. However, a mother’ age seems to be a unifying factor among children with Down syndrome. Older women have a greater chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome, and the risks increases with every passing year. The National Association for Down syndrome estimates the chance of

It's hard to believe a random error in cell division known as nondisjunction can be the reason for so many birth defects. This one mistake is the cause of 1 in 691 babies being born with what is known as Down Syndrome. In every cell in the human body, there is a nucleus. Typically there are twenty three chromosomes in each nucleus. Down Syndrome occurs when there is extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21. Down Syndrome is a chromosomal condition that causes low muscle tone, small stature, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. Although, each person with Down Syndrome is a unique individual and may have these characteristics to different degrees.

Down syndrome takes its name from Dr. Langdon Down. He was the first person to describe the syndrome in 1866. The earliest recorded incident of someone having Down syndrome dates back to an altar piece painted in a church in Aachen, Germany in 1504. Although the syndrome is named after Dr Langdon Down, he did not understand the condition, as we know it today. The syndrome was referred to as having mongolism. This was because people who have Down syndrome have similar physical characteristics to those people of oriental heritage.

Down Syndrome is a chromosomal condition related to chromosome 21. It affects 1 in 800 to 1 in 1000 born infants. People who have Down Syndrome have learning difficulties, mental retardation, a different facial appearance, and poor muscle tone (hypotonia) in infancy.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder in which a person is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. There are three genetic variations that cause Down syndrome: Trisomy 21, Mosaic Trisomy 21 or Translocation Trisomy 21. There are many ways in which theses disorders affect the body.  Trisomy 21 occurs when an egg or sperm comes in with an extra copy of chromosome 21, then, once an embryo is formed and starts to develop, the chromosome is replicated in every single cell of the embryo. Trisomy 21 is the most common type of Down syndrome. About 92% of Down syndrome patients have this type. People with Trisomy usually have physical problems.

Down Syndrome is a medical condition that causes a delay in how a child develops, both mentally and physically. Each year, about 6,000 babies are born with Down Syndrome (DS), which is about 1 in 700 babies born. The cause of DS is unknown, meaning scientists don’t know how people get it, but we do know how it happens after the diagnosis. A baby is usually born with 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent. Most likely is a DS case, the child has 47 chromosomes and has an extra “chromosome 21”. The extra genetic material is why children get DS, but scientists don’t know how it happens.

Babies born to women aged in their 40s tend to have low birth weights. This is generally a result of premature birth and bad because the baby has less time to grow and develop in the womb and is therefore more vulnerable to pretty much everything. It makes it hard for the baby to fight off infection, keep warm, gain weight, feed, and it can also cause breathing problems due to low oxygen levels at birth and sudden infant death syndrome. Low birth weight can also be a result of placental insufficiency. This is when the nutrients meant to be provided to the foetus through the placenta simply fail to be given due to the placenta not growing or functioning properly.

Down syndrome is a congenital disorder arising from a chromosome defect, the chromosome causing the problems is Chromosome 21. This disorder affects about 1 in 700 births in the United States. Currently there are about 400,000 Americans that have Down syndrome, with approximately 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome each year. The disorder forms during fertilization or soon after fertilization. Fertilization occurs when the sperm binds to zona pellucida, then the sperm undergoes acrosome reaction which will lyses a hole in zona pellucida, and then the sperm and egg membrane fuse. Once the membranes fuse, the sperms genetic material gets released and gets combined with the egg’s chromosomes, thus resulting in a 46 chromosome fertilized egg.

Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder. It is caused by an abnormality in the number of chromosomes. DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid) chromosomes are originate in the cell and are comprised of genes, which decide hereditary traits (Epstein pg.199). If a person has an extra chromosome on chromosome number 21 out of 23 they will have Down syndrome. The extra chromosome may delay the growth of a child’s physical and mental development which may lead to mental retardation. Normally, a person has 46 chromosomes, and will receive 23 pairs of chromosomes from the mother and 23 from the father totaling 46. But someone with Down syndrome will have 47. Although many theories have been developed, it is not known what actually

I chose to read the autobiography by Jason Kingsley and Mitchell Levitz called Count on us, growing up with Down syndrome. My own educational background tells me that Down syndrome occurs to a person when they have an extra twenty-first chromosome expressed in their gene sequence. The extra chromosome can cause muscles to not fully develop along with degraded mental capacity. Down syndrome is usually diagnosed at birth and in the case of Jason and Mitchell it was. There was and still is a negative stigma with Down syndrome but do to recent legislation and stories like this autobiography, we are more aware of how people can still function and have a high quality of life with this disability.

According to the global down syndrome foundation, here are 17 myth and facts about down syndrome.

Down syndrome is named after Dr. J.L. Down, who first discovered and studied the condition. It is part of a large number of disabilities known as intellectual disabilities. Down syndrome is present at birth and individuals are usually diagnosed during pregnancy or shortly after birth. There are three types of Down syndrome. The most common of these involves an extra number 21 chromosome, which gives the individual 47 instead of 46 total chromosomes. A chromosome breaking and then reattaching to another chromosome characterizes translocation, which is the second type of Down syndrome. The third type, nondisjunction occurs when a pair of chromosomes fail to separate properly during nuclear division. Individuals with this disability usually

Down Syndrome is a developmental disorder caused by an error in the process of cell division. This disorder is characterized by an extra copy of chromosome 21 (trisomy)(Segal & Pesco, 2015). It is the most common chromosomal disorder and affects 1 in 700 live births (Ramia, Musharrafieh, Khaddage, & Sabri, 2014). According to Segal and Pesco (2015), Down Syndrome is characterised by physical features such as distinct facial characteristics, low muscle tone; conditions such as congenital heart disease; and Intellectual Disability with IQs typically ranging from 30 to 70.