Down syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that occurs when a baby is born with an extra chromosome in each of their cells. It is the most common of the chromosomal disorders. One in every 691 babies is born with DS (Down syndrome) and there are approximately over 400,000 people living with DS in the United States today. Although it is not genetic, it has been proven that mothers older than thirty-five are more likely to have a baby with Down syndrome. Individuals with Down syndrome have varied cognitive delays, meaning that they learn and develop slower than the average person, but they are still able to live normal lives. Many people with Down syndrome attend school, go to work, and are able to have normal relationships, such as marriage. John Langdon Down officially classified Down syndrome in 1866. Langdon Down grew up in Cornwall, England and worked in his family business until he entered medical school when he was eighteen. After obtaining his degree, he was appointed the medical superintendent of the Royal Earlswood Asylum for Idiots. He spent his time there perfecting his description of the “idiots” that lived in this Asylum. Because their physical appearance reminded him of people from Mongolia, he called the disorder “Mongolian idiocy”. When Langdon Down was studying these patients, he described them as being “humorous” and having “a considerable power of imitation” (Mark Leach). He also stated that, although “the speech [was] thick and indistinct”, they were “able to speak” (Mark Leach). Down syndrome wasn’t actually called Down syndrome until 1961 when a group of geneticists, eager to rename the disorder, looked back on his work and renamed Mongolian idiocy after John Langdon Down. Down syndrome is a chromosomal disord... ... middle of paper ... .... At the end of the day, people with Down syndrome may be different than your average, but they still can possess many unique gifts and talents. It is important to know that they experience feelings just like any normal individual. Not many people know much about Down syndrome, so rather than automatically judging someone that has DS, one should first be better informed of this disorder and try to get involved with people that have DS in different communities. During October, Down Syndrome Awareness month, there are many different activities that one can participate in to help spread awareness of DS. One example is the Buddy Walk presented by the National Down Syndrome Society. The Buddy Walk is a mile walk in different communities across the US that helps to raise money to support local and national affiliates and to promote the acceptance of people with DS.
Having Down Syndrome is a Horizontal identity. Most Americans view people with Down’s to be disabled and do not thing much past that. But, many people with Down’s see this simply as a part of who they are, just as much as the color of their eyes. To them, it is not a disability, but just a fact of life. Many outsiders do not understand this, which is why the Down’s community is so important. The Down’s community provides those with Down’s acceptance to their identity. While the rest of society rejects and pities them, within their community they can relate with others and be treated equally. Unlike with vertical identities where the parents are automatically insiders, parents must choose to whether or not to support their children’s horizontal identities. Some parents choose not to accept Down’s before the child is born and terminate the pregnancy while others do their best to make sure their child is comfortable in the world. Again, in more recent years, there are movements for society to be more educated and inclusive for those with Down Syndrome, but there is still a long way to go.
Down’s syndrome is a chromosomal condition that is caused by an extra 21st chromosome as there is an error in the body’s cell division. Every human has a nucleus in every cell in the body which contains genes that are grouped along with chromosomes. The normal number of
Johnson, P. A. (2014). Down syndrome. In L. J. Fundukian (Ed.), The gale encyclopedia of medicine (4th ed.). Retrieved from Gale Science in Context database. (Accession No. DU2601000443)
...ility, they are weak and are not as vigorous/ active as kids that don’t have down syndrome. Many kids with translocation down syndrome function differently than others because they have to deal with mental and physical problems unlike others and often need physical therapy. Not only that, kids with this disorder take intervention classes to try to improve the disorder as well as try to improve their physical, mental and intellectual abilities. Also, kids with down syndrome are slow in motor development(the ability to control one’s body movement’s). They also have verbal short-term memory loss.At school, kids with down syndrome should interact with others to build a foundation of social abilities allowing the child to be more sociable and participate in discussions in class. This will improve the level of functioning of a child with translocation down syndrome.
Down syndrome is a very common disorder now a day’s, but not many know what it actually is. Down syndrome was a topic that was not as common back in that day. “John Langdon Down, an English physician, published an accurate description of a person with Down syndrome. It was this scholarly
It is well known that children have Down syndrome within physical features. They are not different than a person who does not have Down syndrome, but their physical features are quite different such as, facial appearance in the face, which is flatter. They also have a slant within their eyes, smaller ears and protruding tongue which is slightly bigger and suspends out a part from the mouth. (2)
In 1866 British doctor John Langdon Down defined and described the characteristic symptoms of Down Syndrome but was unsure of the cause. It wasn't until 1959 that Dr. Lejeunne and his team in Paris showed that people with Down Syndrome have an additional chromosome. We normally have 23 pairs of chromosomes, each made up of genes. The cells of people with Down Syndrome include three chromosome #21 instead of two. The extra 21st chromosome causes an extra dose of proteins. These proteins cause the typical features of Down Syndrome. While the fetus with Down Syndrome is developing, its body cells do not reproduce as fast as usual. That is the main reason why these babies are smaller than average after birth and their brain not as big as those of other newborn children.
In 1886, physician John Langdon Down was the first scientist to identify Down syndrome. Down was the administrator of a mental institute for children in Surrey, England. From his observations and work at the institute, he was able to identify a set of children who exhibited characteristics such as short nose, broad flat face, short and broad hands, which are features commonly identified with Down syndrome. He later wrote an essay entitled “Observations of the Ethnic Classification of Idiots” in which he asserts the notion that it was possible to classify different types of health conditions through race. His essay included his now famous classification of what is today known as Down syndrome, which he categorized as the Mongol...
Many people believe, from common knowledge, that having a Down syndrome cannot be prevented and that it is genetic. This was proved w...
Having Down syndrome is like being born normal. I am just like you, and you are just like me. We are all born in different ways, that is the way I can describe it. I have a normal life"(Burke, C., n.d.). Where special education is concerned, one must always remember that exceptional learners are different, not less.
Jerome Lejeune, a geneticist, distinguished Cri Du Chat syndrome in 1963: he also discovered down syndrome. The syndrome, in French, means ‘Cry of the Cat’. This syndrome is caused when the short arm of the 5th chromosome is deleted. Due to this deletion, multiple genes are missing. Therefore, this causes numerous disorders. (Who discovered Cri Du Chat, Explorable.com)
crease, slightly flattened facial profile, an upward slant to the eyes, small mouth, and protruding
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Imagine coming into 4th grade on the first day of school and having the other children look at you funny and not understanding why. Nothing is more devastating than when you are excited to make friends and interact with the other children, but when the teacher hands out assignments and tells everyone to get in small groups, and you are excluded and have to work by yourself or with a teaching assistant. This is what it is like to be a 4th grader with Down syndrome.