subject: Down Syndrome Overview [print this page] Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality in the world. It is discovered by John Langdon Down in 1866 after observing few children who share the same characteristics. There are many features of this birth defect.
Obviously, we can easily know the Down syndrome child via their characteristics. They almost look alike. This syndrome was described as Mongoloids before this. Yet, this sounds like an insult to the Mongolians. Thus, the Mongoloids was forbid to be used in scientific dictionary since 1960s.
One of the most usual features is the mental retardation. However, it depends to the severity of the symptom. Not all of them can speak. It is hard for them to learn. They need a lot of time to learn the things such as breast feed, walking, talking and dressing. There are some courses that specifically designed for the Down syndrome child now. You can just join the group with some simple clicks online.
Another basic characteristic is the developmental deficiency. The child cannot grow normally. We can easily recognize them with the small ears, head and eyes. Sometimes, we can see the upturned nose and flat facial features with them too. The malformations will cause some medical problems too. The medical therapy can help to reduce some of the symptoms effectively.
Besides, some of the Down syndrome has the symptom of hypogonadism. Basically, this only happen on the males. Thus, the males are usually reproductive failure. However, the females menarche occurs at normal time. The pregnancy is possible for the females.
Furthermore, there are many others medical problems that children with this birth defect may encounter. Usually, the Down syndrome children are born with heart deficiencies. They are easy to get cancer than the normal children. Some of them are born with hearing impairment and poor vision too.
There are many hypotheses explaining the causes of Down syndrome. There is an extra chromosome 21 for the Down syndrome baby. This is because of the non-disjunction occurred during the sperm or ovum development. Yet, it is related to the age of parents too. The increase of parental age will increase the risk of having a Down syndrome child. Many reports show that parents who are approaching 35 years old are in risk of having the child with this abnormality.
Summing up, raising a Down syndrome child is not as easy as the normal child. And I believe your love to the baby will overcome everything. Many parents of Down syndrome children would not wish to change a thing for bringing up their unique child even though they are given choice. For them, this is the great things to have such children.
