Down Syndrome

4 Pages 1071 Words

Down Syndrome

Have you ever been in a situation where you were confronted by a child who has Down

Syndrome and were unsure of how to act around that child? I'm sure many of us have

experienced the awkwardness that accompanies such a situation. Many people feel guilt or

pity for these children, I believe these reactions result from a lack of knowledge about the

condition. Which is why I have chosen this topic.

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.

In 1866, a 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.

A child who has Down Syndrome will have exclusive individual characteristics which

they have inherited from their parents. The child may resemble their father, mother,

grandmother, or aunt. This is true...