Down Syndrome



Posted: Tuesday, September 21, 2010

by Mark Lucas
NLP Patterns

Down syndrome is a type of chromosomal disorder in whole or in part due to the affects of a twenty-first chromosome. Down syndrome is named after the physician John Langdon Down in 1866, which he had fully described the syndrome and had conducted detail research on this subject. The condition is described as a mixture of large and small differences in the structure of the person, both physically and intellectually. Down syndrome is often associated with a degree of impairment in cognitive ability, body growth as well as facial features that are distinctive for the syndrome. Down syndrome can be identified through analysis of amniocentesis during the period of pregnancy.

People with Down syndrome had mild to moderate disabilities in terms of cognitive abilities. Small number of people with Down syndrome has severe mental disability. The IQ of Down syndrome children is about 50 compared with a normal children IQ of 100. The frequency of occurrence for Down's syndrome in babies is considered to be one out of eight hundred to a thousand that were born. However, statistically it is much more common with mothers of older age. Other factors may also play a role including smoking, drug abuse or the health of the mother.

Many of the general physical characteristics of Down syndrome can also occur in people without Down syndrome. This includes microgenia (very small jaw), a face that is unusually round, macroglossia (protruding tongue), almond-shaped eyes, up slanting between the lower and upper eyelids, short legs, Simian increase, weak tonnage of muscle, and a large space between the first and second toes. Health concerns for individuals with Down syndrome contain a higher risk of heart defects, ear infections, sleep apnea as well as disorders associated with the thyroid.

Childhood intervention, medical treatments and screening for common problems done in their early years can improve the development of the child with Down's syndrome. Although the limitations caused by Down syndrome are hard or even impossible to overcome, education and appropriate treatment can help children with Down syndrome to improve their quality of life.

I highly recommend you to take a look at this DVD to ensure that your child has a healthy life:

Kids with Down Syndrome Staying Healthy and Making Friends
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