Expanding a family and bringing a child into being is a major decision. Becoming a family will change how a person thinks, acts, and looks at the world. But what if that child came into this world with development issues? A child born with Down syndrome can cause emotional issues for the parents as well as any siblings in the family. An infant can be diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth; it is one of a few disorders that portray physical characteristics which help to identify the disorder. Down syndrome can affect the child’s social, intellectual, and emotional development, which will bring challenges, as well as rewards, for the child’s parents and siblings. Down syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality also called trisomy-21; most often it is caused by an extra 21st chromosome, although sometimes it may be caused a rearranging of the genetic material within the chromosome. Down syndrome causes delayed development and can also cause congenital heart defects, gastro-intestinal disorders, congenital heart defects, thyroid dysfunction, chronic airway infections, as well as visual and hearing impairments (Papalia, Diane E., Feldman, Ruth Duskin, & Martorell, Gabriela, 2012; van Gameren-Oosterom, H. M., Fekkes, M., Buitendijk, S. E., Mohangoo, A. D., Bruil, J., & Wouwe, J. 2011; van Gameren-Oosterom, H. M, Fekkes, M, Buitendijk S. E, Mohangoo A. D, Bruil J, & Wouwe J. 2011). Children with Down syndrome have intellectual impairment as well as delayed cognitive and motor development, they are also afflicted with speech and concentration problems as well as social withdrawal, disobedient behavior, depression, anger issues, attention deficit and personality changes as they age (van Gameren-Oosterom, H. M., Fekkes, M., Buitendijk, S. E., Mo... ... middle of paper ... ...dijk, S. E., Mohangoo, A. D., Bruil, J., & Wouwe, J. (2011). Development, Problem Behavior, and Quality of Life in a Population Based Sample of Eight-Year-Old Children with Down Syndrome. Plos ONE, 6(7), 1-8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021879 Venuti, P., de Falco, S., Giusti, Z., & Bornstein, M. H. (2008). Play and emotional availability in young children with Down syndrome.Infant Mental Health Journal, 29(2), 133-152. doi:10.1002/imhj.20168 Watt, K. J., Johnson, P. P., & Virji-Babul, N. N. (2010). The perception of friendship in adults with Down syndrome. Journal Of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(11), 1015-1023. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01330.x Wright, I., Lewis, V., & Collis, G. M. (2006). Imitation and representational development in young children with Down syndrome.British Journal Of Developmental Psychology, 24(2), 429-450. doi:10.1348/026151005X51257
Mans, L., Cicchetti, D., & Sroufe, L. (1978). Mirror reactions of Down's syndrome infants and toddlers: Cognitive underpinnings of self-recognition. Child Development, 49(4), 1247-1250. doi:10.2307/1128771
The young girl appeared to be developmentally delayed, and the two middle-aged women engaged in conversation while pushing her. When the young girl attempted to speak to the two women, her attempt at contributing to their conversation appeared to be ignored by the two women as they continued talking to one another. Because of her mental disability, she seems to be treated as childish and does not appear to be taken seriously by the two women (Johnson, 2006, p. 31), who appear more interested in each other than they do in listening to the mentally handicapped girl that they are caring for. This interaction in addition to several others seem congruent with the belief that stereotypes of disabled individuals “reportedly get in the way of full participation in… social life” (Wendell, 1996, p. 61). It appeared that nondisabled individuals would only engage with the disabled individuals if they appeared to need help of some sort, appeared to lose something or spoke directly to the nondisabled person involved in the interaction. Otherwise, nondisabled individuals and caregivers appeared to treat disabled individuals as burdensome, unimportant, or even invisible. This was particularly evident during an interaction between an elderly man in a wheelchair and a middle-aged man in a green shirt. Throughout the course of their interaction, the middle-aged man rarely spoke to the man in the wheelchair and spent more time speaking with a park employee and another guest. Additionally, there were several significant periods of time during which he would leave the man in the wheelchair alone. His actions seemed to show a lack of interest in interacting with the man in the wheelchair, as he spent less time speaking with him than he did speaking to others or leaving him completely
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.
The brother or sister of a child with a disability is affected in the same ways as their parents. They can exhibit the same emotional stages. They may experience negative feelings. They commonly feel deprived of parental time and attention. In order to accept their sibling, it is the parents’ attitudes and expectations that will determine the harmony, interactions, and ultimate relations of their children. Secure maternal attachment of the children increases the likelihood that the siblings will experience a non-antagonistic, authentic bond (Schuntermann, 2007). Many variables, such as age, gender, family size, culture, and the nature and severity of the disability affect the sibling relat...
Furthermore, to reinforce the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2011) confidentiality guidelines, I have used the pseudonym “Thomas”. Description Thomas is a 29 year old who lives with Down Syndrome (DS). DS is a learning disability (LD) caused by the non-disjunction of chromosome 21 during cell division and is characterised by the presence of dysmorphic facial features; furthermore it affects mental and social development (Evans-Martin, 2009). When working with people with a LD, nurses must understand how to uphold the legal and ethical rights of the individual as well as ascertaining the individual's capacity to understand choices and outcomes (NMC, 2008).
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
Van Riper, Marcia. ?Living with Down Syndrome: The Family Experience.? Down Syndrome Quarterly. Volume 4, Number 1 March 2005. http://www.denison.edu/dsq/vanriper.shtml
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.
crease, slightly flattened facial profile, an upward slant to the eyes, small mouth, and protruding
As mentioned in the introduction, Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21. The extra genetic material is typically responsible for the alteration of physical development. Some of the most common physical traits of Down Syndrome are distinct facial features such as a upward slanting almond shaped eyes, a seemingly flattened face, a tongue that tends to stick out, and small ears. Some of the other physical traits that are sometimes present are short stature, poor muscle tone, and a crease across the palm of the hand (CDC). Due to the poor muscle tone in their bodies, people who have Down Syndrome are more susceptible to conditions such as obesity and sleep apnea...
Down Syndrome Education Online -. Education online. 1996-2013. Web. The Web. The Web.
Down syndrome is a medical condition where extra genetic material physically and mentally delays the way that a child develops (KidsHealth). Laws have been put in place to ensure that children with disabilities, including Down syndrome, are guaranteed to a free public education (National Down Syndrome Society). However, students typically at the elementary level, do not completely understand that other students with disabilities are just like them, regardless of their disability. It is more beneficial for students with down syndrome or those with other disabilities if teachers and administrators educated other students on how people with disabilities learn and function (National Down Syndrome
Play directly influences how children develop both emotionally and socially. Children learn how to express their emotions and cope with their feelings as they experiment with different characters in their play. Play gives children a “harmless outlet to their built up aggression” (CHETN). This is displayed when a child becomes angry, upset, or stressed about a situation in their lives; these young children may not be old enough or have the proper communication tools to communicate what they are feeling. Therefor they may choose to play with objects that depict the emotions that they are feeling and attempt to cope. Simply said, a child will use play to explain how they are feeling rather than acting out in a negative fashion (Wehrman 351). This not only works for the child when expressing emotions, it can also be effective for whole families in coping with emotions. When families come together and play they may be “less analytical and intellectual and more ...
This theory suggests that play plays a vital role of treating children’s disorders, children are able to gain some sense of control and alleviate their negative emotions including anxieties, fears and traumas through playing (Heidman & Hewitt, 2010; Freud, 1961). From the psychoanalytic perspective, play has a cathartic effect for children as it can assist children to cope with adverse feelings (Wolfberg, 2009, p. 32). Therefore, play is regarded as a therapeutic method to deal with the emotional problems (Wolfberg, 2009, p. 32). Moreover, this theory is of the view that play is an avenue to connect children’s past, current and future inner life (Willians, 2009, p. 575). Sigmund Freud was the pioneer who made a considerable contribution to this theory and he called “play” as the “royal road” to the child’s conscious and unconscious world (Willians, 2009, p. 575). He believed that play allows a combination of fantasy with reality, children should spend time playing every day as it is very healthy and necessarily (Willians, 2009, p. 575). Children are able to resolve psychological dilemmas, soften their worries and develop their understanding of life experiences (Wolfberg, 2009, p. 32). Erikson had further developed this theory, he recognized that the particular events are critical to shape the nature of