Down Syndrome

Down syndrome

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.

The diagnosis of the syndrome can be made shortly after birth. Most parents who find out their child has it have conflicting emotions. These can include shock, feelings of disbelief, feelings of sorrow, guilt and feelings of embarrassment. In the past, most babies who had Down syndrome were put into an institution. Today the trend is to keep the child at home and have the child became a functioning member of society. Having a handicapped child can cause great stress. There is also a problem of explaining the condition to the other siblings. Down syndrome should not be explained to the other siblings as an illness. They should be told the child has a handicap. Parents should also be careful not to spend all their time with the child that has Down syndrome and spend equal time with all their children. Other relatives and friends should be told as soon as possible. It will normally make other people uncomfortable. They may not understand what the parent is feeling and say inappropriate things.

Down syndrome is one of the most common chromomal defects. It occurs in about 1 out of 800 births. The probability of having a child with Down syndrome increases with the mother’s age. The rate for women in their twenties is about 1 in 2000 births. This number increases dramatically for a women in her forties to about 1 in 100. The cause of Down syndrome is an extra chromosome. In 95 percent of the cases, the child has three instead of two chromosomes on the 21 chromosome. There is a test called amniocentesis that can tell the mother if her child will have Down syndrome. Amniocentesis involves inserting a needle into the amniotic sac to withdraw a small about of the amniotic fluid. The cells in the fluid are then analyzed to see if the child has Down syndrome. There is small risk of a miscarriage or infection to the uteru...

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... to enjoy life in a way that other people cannot. They were so grateful for the attention that you showed them. Just like anyone else, they had their good days and bad days. The clients that had Downs were always the first ones on the dance floor when they had parties and they always had a smile on their face.

In the last twenty years, there has been a push to get mental retarded people into the mainstream of society. Most adults with Downs syndrome will need some help daily activties. Independent living centers has replaced large institutions. These living centers usually have about four to twelve clients living there, the center I worked at had two houses and there were ten people in each house. They worked at a company putting wicks in candles and really enjoyed their job. They were responsible for cleaning their rooms and bathrooms. They also had different chores to do around the house such as mopping the floor and helping with dinner. Every night there were activities planned such as watching movies or doing arts and crafts. It was a great experience working with the clients. That is one of the main reason I decided to go back to school and pursue a degree in social work.