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Down's Syndrome
Down's syndrome is a genetic condition involving an extra chromosome, this change occurs around the time of conception. A person with Down's syndrome has forty-seven chromosomes instead of the usual forty-six. A relatively common genetic disorder, Down's strikes 1 out of 600 babies. In 95 percent of all cases, the disorder originates with the egg, not the sperm, and the only known risk factor is advanced maternal age-at age 35, a woman has 1 chance in
117 of having a baby with Down's; at 40, her odds are 1 in 34. (Graves, 1990)
People with Down's syndrome all have a certain degree of learning disability . This means that they develop and learn more slowly than other children. However, most children with Down's syndrome today will walk and talk, many will read and write, go to ordinary school, and look forward to a semi- independent adult life. (Platt and Carlson, 1992)
Facts on Down Syndrome
*Down syndrome is not a lethal anomaly. One to two percent of persons born with this disorder have uncorrectable heart defects at birth. The average life expectancy for all others is now beyond age 55 years.
*Today less than 5% of persons with Down syndrome have severe-to- profound mental retardation. The majority are on the border of mild-to-moderate mental retardation, and some are exhibiting normal IQ scores today.
*The average reading level for persons with Down syndrome is 3rd grade, with many reading at 6th-12th grade levels today.
*The vast majority of adults with Down syndrome today can be expected to live semi- or totally independently and many enter the work force with today's supported employment programs and some are competitively employed.
Some medical conditions that demand special attention for people with
Down syndrome include:
*Congenital Heart Disease: usually in the form of endocardial cushion defects, affects 40% of babies and should be screened for by echocardiography soon after birth as it may well be difficult to detect.
* Gastrointestinal disorders: the most common congenital abnormality of the gastrointestinal tract associated with Down syndrome is duodenal ...
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Pueschel, S. and Pueschel, J. (Eds) (1992). Biomedical concerns in persons with down syndrome. Baltimore: Paul H Brookes Co.
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“About 13 of every 10,000 babies born in the United States each year is born with Down syndrome. It affects an equal number of male and female babies” (Johnson P. A. 2014). Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that found across the world, however it is more prevalent in the United States. The cause of the disorder roots to the paring of the human chromosomes. A normal human receives 23 pairs of chromosomes, each pair coming from mother and father. In Down syndrome most people affected have an abnormal cell division of the chromosome. Both parents are carriers of the There are three types of variations that includes trisomy 21, mosaic, and translocation.
Some of the most common words moving around in the psychiatric circle are attention Deficit; hyperactivity; Ritalin; ADD, ADHD. These words are being most commonly discussed by most educators, physicians, psychologists and young parents in the society today. In spite of extensive advancements in technology which has brought new insights into the brain and learning, there is still a lacuna in the field of problems faced by children who are unable to remain focused on the task given to them in the classroom owing to their inability to pay attention.
There is no actual behavior or environmental factor that could cause Down syndrome. Down syndrome is mainly caused by three different disorders. Trisomy 21, Mosaic Down Syndrome, or Translocation Down Syndrome, are three different types of causes. “Trisomy 21. About 95 percent of the time, Down syndrome is caused by trisomy 21 — the child has three copies of chromosome 21 (instead of the usual two copies) in all cells. This is caused by abnormal cell division during the development of the sperm cell or the egg cell.” Trisomy is the most common cause for the Down syndrome disorder. The Mosaic Down syndrome is a one of the rare causes that the disorder has. This happens when both normal and abnormal are caused by cell division after fertilization. Translocation Down Syndrome occurs when a part of the chromosome 21 attaches itself to another chromosomes and then it has two unusual copies of the chromosome. Children who have the disorder are different individuals and have different facial appearance. “Infants with Down syndrome may be average size, but typically they grow slowly and remain shorter than other children the same age. In general, developmental milestones, such as sitting and crawling, occur at about twice the age of children without impairment.” Knowing about all the causes or symptoms in Down syndrome can help to try to figure out a way to help the
Down Syndrome is a condition that cannot be physically passed on from one person to the next. It is a genetic disorder that is inherited through our parents when something goes wrong during pregnancy. As a result, they have a combination of features typical of Down Syndrome, including some degree of cognitive disability, as well as other developmental delays. One thing we should always keep in mind is that they are children and having Down Syndrome comes second.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a problem that affects 5% to 10% of all children. ADD affects more children than any other childhood problems except asthma. It is estimated to be the largest single cause for first referrals to child guidance clinics throughout the country, making up as many as 40% of those cases. Many ADD cases are not diagnosed because the problem most often does not show in the doctor’s office.
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 having a baby with Down syndrome to be as follows:
You know that person; the one that can’t stay on subject, the one who will be talking then all of a sudden the conversation goes off in a totally different direction, like a squirrel searching for nuts that keeps dropping the one it is carrying because something else caught its eye. Chaotic, frazzled, impulsive, unorganized, daydreamer, procrastinator, inattentive, goof off and lazy are just a few descriptions of an adult that has Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD). At one time ADD/ADHD was thought of as just childhood complications that did not affect adults, but since there is no cure for ADD/ADHD, adults are affected also. Most adults that have ADD/ADHD were not diagnosed with it as children, because ADD/ADHD wasn’t recognized except by a very few people that were aware of it at the time (Smith and Segal, 2012). Instead as children they were labeled as lazy, trouble makers, day dreamers and other labels and they grew into adults with those same labels and tendencies. They may have learned to adjust during the teen years but as they became adults and responsibilities and demands on their time grew, the challenges of dealing with ADD/ADHD also grew. ADD/ADHD affects 4-5 percent of all adults, more than 11 million in the United States (Barkley). When not diagnosed and treated it can impact all areas of life including work, home and social relationships. With treatment adults, and children, with ADD/ADHD can learn to compensate and overcome the symptoms and challenges they face with ADD/ADHD on a daily basis to lead productive lives.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a psychological condition that usually begins in early childhood and often lasts into adulthood (University of Illinois, n.d.). Have you ever noticed a child having trouble concentrating, that can't seem to sit still, who interrupts others during their conversation, or has acted impulsively without thinking? Most of us can think of a child that has these problems, but for some children, these behaviors are uncontrollable and can interfere with their ability to form friendships or their success in school (Bussing & Grohol, n.d.).
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder, associated with the presence of an extra chromosome. Downs is characterized by mild to severe mental impairment, weak muscle tone, shorter stature, and a flattened face. Down syndrome is not a very common disease, one in every 691 children are born with Down syndrome. The disability is an illness that people are born with and is not contagious. Most people with Downs have a life expectancy of about 40 or 50 years of age. They only live for that short amount of time because they begin to develop a similar disease to Alzheimer’s. “100% of people with Down syndrome will develop some physiologic signs of Alzheimer’s when they are over 35 years old in the U.S” (Statistics about Down Syndrome). They also die earlier because having Down syndrome increases the risk of leukemia 15-20 times in the US. Therefore most people with Downs will die because of leukemia or heart problems before the age of 50.
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.
From the day I entered kindergarten class at the age of five my accomplishments in school have been tainted by behavioral problems. Every week my mother would inevitably receive calls from teachers and principals complaining about my inattentiveness and hyperactivity in the classroom. I never had a problem with the work and I was always one of the smartest students in my class so my parents just assumed that I was a rambunctious child. My parents completely subscribed to the belief that “boys will be boys” and although I certainly was reprimanded for my behavior, the last thing to have crossed my parents’ mind was that this type of behavior was a symptom of a disorder. The disorder I am referring to is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Approximately fifteen million Americans suffer from this disorder yet around the country there are probably thousands of people, just like my parents, who fail to recognize or seek help regarding cases of ADHD. The problem lies in the ignorance of the population. ADHD has dramatic cognitive and behavioral effects on children and without awareness of the symptoms of ADHD, parents, teachers, and students alike are left without the necessary tools and strategies to raise and educate children inhibited by the disorder. To promote awareness, this paper will attempt to shed light on how to recognize Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in young children in order to create strategies to help optimize the time children spend on their studies so they can realize their potential as students.
Lynnet is a junior in high school. She is highly creative and is interested in attending an arts school. But there’s something different about Lynnet. She has trouble paying attention in class and often turns in incomplete work a day late. She also tends to skip every third class meeting in any given subject, but can be found elsewhere drawing. Lynnet is a bright teenager who can get good grades, however she sometimes struggles to complete it if it doesn’t interest her. Lynnet has ADHD. – (The name of the person has been changed.) *Note: Edited from the original found at https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/adhd/case.htm.
ADD and ADHD have had a dramatic rate of increase since it was first “discovered” 25 years ago. “This “epidemic” has grown from 500 thousand in 1985 to between five and seven million today.” (Baughman) ADD and ADHD have become popular for many reasons. In today’s American culture and fast paced society it is likely that both parents will work. This breaks down the traditional family where only one parent would work and the other would stay home and take care of the children. This leads to a tremendous breakdown in parental supervision and involvement in their children’s academics. This lack of involvement by parents puts the burden onto the school system for a child’s lack of achievement. When a child academically performs poorly or has a problem at school, parents want corrective action to be taken no matter what the cost, as long as, it is a fast remedy with little involvement by the parent. In some cases, when a child is labeled with ADD or ADHD because he/she is doing poorly in school, the corrective action that needs to be taken is for the parent to simply spend more time with their children and tutor them in academic areas they’ re lacking in.” Children feel the loss, (quality time spent with parents) and they take action for attention. They misbehave, they cry, they become defiant, aggressive. The parents seek answers and relief to the family turmoil. The school, which is also experiencing the child’s defiance and aggression, seeks relief. Enter the school psychologist who provides the convenient answer. The chil...
Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, “The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound.
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that can affect any person’s behavior and way of life. In their book, Special Education, J.Ysseldyke and B. Algozzine state that no area has experienced as much growth as learning disabilities. It is by far the largest of all special education categories. Enormous changes in the last century have changed the way society treats children with disabilities. Psychologist William Lee Heward affirms that in the 1800’s there were few public provisions dealing with adults or children with special needs. Psychologists researched in order to discover the characteristics of a person with ADHD and the effects it has on human behavior. Teachers, parents, and other people have an important role in dealing with a person who has the condition. Special education today is an area of growing interest and of continuing controversies.