Personal Narrative: Down's 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 an intellectual disability that is a result of a person being born with an extra chromosome, specifically chromosome 21. Down syndrome is the most common intellectual disability affecting approximately 1 in every 1000 births (Asim, Kumar, Muthuswamy, Jain, & Agarwal, 2015). Research has found a direct link between the age of the mother and the possibility that the baby will be born with Down syndrome, with the occurrence of Down syndrome increasing proportionally with the increased age of the mother (Asim, 2015). This condition can cause both intellectual (cognitive) and physical impairments that can range from moderate to severe (Crosta, 2016). People with Down syndrome have physical impairments such as a flat face, little to no neck, small ears, slated eyes, shorter than normal limbs and they tend to have low muscle tone (Asim, 2015). Children with Down syndrome tend to have a slower development of natural movements such as sitting, crawling and walking (Crosta, 2015). Intellectually people with Down syndrome tend to have a below average intelligence and most often they need extra assistance when attending school (Asim, 2015).

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.

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

I had to be honest, I was deadly curious about what they would look and feel like. It wasn't every day you got to see and touch the latest in prosthetics. Still, I felt ashamed even approaching the building, going so far as to check to see if anyone I knew was around before tapping on the automatic door opener. I just didn't need to deal with giving anyone false hope. I was never going to get any of these things. Ever. But if friends or family knew I was even coming to see them, well, I'd never hear the end of it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Today, I spent the day in a wheelchair. Today offered the perfect opportunity to do so because I had several errands to deal with, and I was able to visit various locations in the wheelchair I borrowed from my neighbor. My neighbor had been in a wheelchair temporarily while his broken leg healed, and luckily for me, he had not yet had the opportunity to return it to the hospital. It was the perfect opportunity. As I visited each location, I became distinctly aware of just how different I suddenly was. I endured several weird looks, lacked assistance, etc.

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.