Life and Symptoms
The main thing to realize about people who have trisomy 21, a biology name for down syndrome, is that most of them are able to live normal lives like the rest of us. In fact, many people who have the syndrome go to regular schools and attend regular classes, even though they might find the work more difficult than the average person without down syndrome would. Most commonly though, people with down syndrome are automatically put into special education classes either by their parents or their schools, because they are seen as unable to keep up with the other children.
One of the main worries of having a child born with down syndrome is the fact that their condition puts them more at risk to more serious medical complications, such as heart problems, Alzheimer's disease, hearing and respiratory problems, poor immunity, dementia and even childhood leukemia. However, a child born with down syndrome does not have to be defined by their disease. Many children born with down syndrome grow up to be successful, and sometimes even famous actors. Lauren Potter from FOX's Glee is a good example of a famous actress on a popular show, and yes, she does have down syndrome. Another example is Chris Burke, an actor on the series Life Goes On, or Luke Zimmerman from the abc family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The list is endless. These people show us that a person does not have to be defined or held down in any way by trisomy 21, and have a chance of becoming very successful just like everyone else does. If shown the proper care and love that a child needs to develop properly, as well as any extra help in education that the child may need, someone with trisomy 21 can life a perfectly normal life.
There are many symptoms of down syndrome, some worse than others, that can hinder the intellectual and physical growth of a child. However most of these symptoms do not cause much of a difference in a child's life. Some of these conditions include short stature, a short, wide neck, excess fat or skin, irregularly shaped and/or oddly placed ears, eyes, and nose, and a small mouth, with teeth developing later and more slowly than usual. As you can probably tell, these conditions will not affect the child's life an incredible amount, except for giving him/her the distinct "down syndrome" look. However, while many of these conditions do not affect a child's experience, many others do. Top on this list is intellectual disability. Most children with trisomy 21 suffer from some form of mild to moderate cognitive disability, although severe ones are generally uncommon. Another huge problem that these people can face is heart issues. About half of the children with down syndrome born in America also have some form of heart defect. Other diseases, such as hypothyroidism, celiac disease, and eye problems are also common in children with down syndrome.
Although people with down syndrome may look different than us or have a hard time learning, it is important not to judge in a negative way or look dow upon these people, because this is the worst problem that people with down syndrome face, the opinions of other people. Rather than looking down on them, it is better to look at these people as a source of inspiration, and reaching out to these people would not hurt either. A little kindness goes a long way.
One of the main worries of having a child born with down syndrome is the fact that their condition puts them more at risk to more serious medical complications, such as heart problems, Alzheimer's disease, hearing and respiratory problems, poor immunity, dementia and even childhood leukemia. However, a child born with down syndrome does not have to be defined by their disease. Many children born with down syndrome grow up to be successful, and sometimes even famous actors. Lauren Potter from FOX's Glee is a good example of a famous actress on a popular show, and yes, she does have down syndrome. Another example is Chris Burke, an actor on the series Life Goes On, or Luke Zimmerman from the abc family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The list is endless. These people show us that a person does not have to be defined or held down in any way by trisomy 21, and have a chance of becoming very successful just like everyone else does. If shown the proper care and love that a child needs to develop properly, as well as any extra help in education that the child may need, someone with trisomy 21 can life a perfectly normal life.
There are many symptoms of down syndrome, some worse than others, that can hinder the intellectual and physical growth of a child. However most of these symptoms do not cause much of a difference in a child's life. Some of these conditions include short stature, a short, wide neck, excess fat or skin, irregularly shaped and/or oddly placed ears, eyes, and nose, and a small mouth, with teeth developing later and more slowly than usual. As you can probably tell, these conditions will not affect the child's life an incredible amount, except for giving him/her the distinct "down syndrome" look. However, while many of these conditions do not affect a child's experience, many others do. Top on this list is intellectual disability. Most children with trisomy 21 suffer from some form of mild to moderate cognitive disability, although severe ones are generally uncommon. Another huge problem that these people can face is heart issues. About half of the children with down syndrome born in America also have some form of heart defect. Other diseases, such as hypothyroidism, celiac disease, and eye problems are also common in children with down syndrome.
Although people with down syndrome may look different than us or have a hard time learning, it is important not to judge in a negative way or look dow upon these people, because this is the worst problem that people with down syndrome face, the opinions of other people. Rather than looking down on them, it is better to look at these people as a source of inspiration, and reaching out to these people would not hurt either. A little kindness goes a long way.