Collapse Section. Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition that is associated with intellectual disability, a characteristic facial appearance, and weak muscle tone (hypotonia) in infancy. All affected individuals experience cognitive delays, but the intellectual disability is usually mild to moderate.
What is a simple definition of Down syndrome?
Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are small “packages” of genes in the body. They determine how a baby’s body forms and functions as it grows during pregnancy and after birth. Typically, a baby is born with 46 chromosomes.
What causes Down syndrome psychology?
Down syndrome occurs because of changes in the way cells in chromosome 21 divide. Every person with Down syndrome has an extra amount of this chromosome in some or all of their cells. In the most common type of Down syndrome, trisomy 21, the condition occurs randomly and isn’t inherited.
What happens in Down syndrome?
Down syndrome results when abnormal cell division involving chromosome 21 occurs. These cell division abnormalities result in an extra partial or full chromosome 21. This extra genetic material is responsible for the characteristic features and developmental problems of Down syndrome.
What is Down syndrome in psychology? – Related Questions
What is the main problem of Down syndrome?
Potentially serious complications — The most serious complications of Down syndrome include heart defects, blood disorders that can include leukemia (cancer of the blood), and immune system problems. Heart defects — Approximately half of all babies with Down syndrome are born with (often repairable) heart defects.
What are the 4 types of Down syndrome?
There are three types of Down syndrome: Trisomy 21 (nondisjunction), Mosaicism, and Translocation. Below is a chart that outlines the cell division process of regular cells.
What are 5 characteristics of Down syndrome?
The characteristics of Down syndrome include low muscle tone, short stature, a flat nasal bridge, and a protruding tongue. People with Down syndrome have a higher risk of some conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy.
How long do people with Down syndrome live?
People with Down syndrome can expect to live to 60
In the 1940s, a child with Down syndrome had a life expectancy of 12 years. These days, their life expectancy is 60 years and a baby born with Down syndrome could live into their 80s — in line with the general population.
Can people recover from Down syndrome?
Down syndrome cannot be cured. Early treatment programs can help improve skills. They may include speech, physical, occupational, and/or educational therapy. With support and treatment, many people with Down syndrome live happy, productive lives.
What happens to the brain with Down syndrome?
Postmortem studies in adults with DS have found several brain abnormalities, including reduced gross brain weight, a lower number and depth of cerebral sulci, enlarged ventricles and hypoplasia of several brain structures such as the brainstem, cerebellum, frontal and temporal lobes.
What is the average mental age of a person with Down syndrome?
Those with Down syndrome nearly always have physical and intellectual disabilities. As adults, their mental abilities are typically similar to those of an 8- or 9-year-old. They also typically have poor immune function and generally reach developmental milestones at a later age.
Does Down syndrome affect mental ability?
Intellectual and Developmental Symptoms
Cognitive impairment, problems with thinking and learning, is common in people with Down syndrome and usually ranges from mild to moderate. Only rarely is Down syndrome associated with severe cognitive impairment.
Are people with Down syndrome mentally affected?
They often have mild to moderate intellectual disability and may have specific challenges with attention span, verbal memory, and expressive communication. Behavioral problems such as stubbornness, impulsivity, and temper tantrums may be more common in children with Down syndrome.
How do people with Down syndrome behave?
The most common mental health concerns in individuals with Down syndrome include anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, oppositional behaviors, depression, and tic disorder.
How does Down syndrome affect personality?
There are also reports of increased positive mood and predictability in behaviour in individuals with Down syndrome, supporting the more positive pleasant aspects of the personality stereotype, as well as reports of lower activity levels, less persistence, and more distractibility than other children, supporting the
How does Down syndrome affect behavior?
For example, children with Down syndrome show higher rates (than typically developing children) of attention problems, social withdrawal, noncompliance, and compulsions (such as arranging objects and repeating certain actions) [ 2 , 3 ] , as well as high rates of self-talk .
What are 3 characteristics of Down syndrome?
Down syndrome is usually identified at birth by the presence of certain physical traits: low muscle tone, a single deep crease across the palm of the hand, a slightly flattened facial profile, and an upward slant to the eyes.
What should you not say to someone with Down syndrome?
They might not know much about Down syndrome and they may be concerned about possible medical issues.
THINGS NOT TO SAY – These are the things that parents have said really upset or angered them:
- “I’m sorry” or any form of pity.
- “God gives special parents special children” or any variation.
Why are people with Down syndrome so stubborn?
Students with DS cannot do this as well. They lack the language, the cognitive flexibility needed in verbal discourse and the larger world view to win many verbal arguments. Sothey look stubborn.
What gender is most likely to get Down syndrome?
Because the likelihood that an egg will contain an extra copy of chromosome 21 increases significantly as a woman ages, older women are much more likely than younger women to give birth to an infant with Down syndrome.
