However, according to Myra Madnick, the former Executive Director of the National Down Syndrome Society in New York, "Despite all of the gains individuals with Down syndrome have made, loneliness is a major problem".
People with Down syndrome can feel angry, sad, embarrassed or excited. In fact, rather than always being happy, people with Down syndrome are at higher risk of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behaviour than the general population.
Mental health issues affect people with Down syndrome across their lifespan. Children may develop attention deficit disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, or certain types of anxiety (e.g., separation anxiety disorder, specific phobias, or selective mutism).
Forming and maintaining friendships after high school is difficult for everyone. Individuals with Down syndrome often face added challenges. Adults with Down syndrome might have transportation limitations. They may or may not have the ability to drive themselves to see a friend.
Yes! People with Down syndrome have the same needs and desires as people without Down syndrome. In adolescence and adulthood, they might wish to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, be physically close to their partner, kiss, and have sex. Needs may vary from one person to another, as for all other individuals.
People with Down syndrome also tend to get age-related health problems earlier than others. This includes dementia, memory loss, and problems with judgment or changes in personality that are similar to Alzheimer's disease.
Most adults with Down syndrome are aware they have Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome live ordinary lives filled with extraordinary needs. You cannot have mild or severe Down syndrome. Either you have it or you do not.
Children and adults with Down syndrome experience all the same emotions everyone experiences, both good and bad. They also experience mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and others.
Yes, someone with "Down Syndrome" can have a romantic relationship. Just because they're different doesn't change the fact we all feel. Studies have shown people with "Down Syndrome" can have relationships, children, and a family. Some just may need more help from their family than others.
Most children with Down syndrome meet developmental milestones later than other children, including the ability to walk and talk. They often have mild to moderate intellectual disability and may have specific challenges with attention span, verbal memory, and expressive communication.
The average intelligence quotient (IQ) of children with DS is around 50, ranging between 30 and 70. Remarkably, a small number of patients have a profound degree of ID, whereas others have a mild degree despite the absence of any genetic, cultural or familial favoring or disfavoring causes.
1. Today the average lifespan of a person with Down syndrome is approximately 60 years. As recently as 1983, the average lifespan of a person with Down syndrome was 25 years. The dramatic increase to 60 years is largely due to the end of the inhumane practice of institutionalizing people with Down syndrome.
Characteristics of Down syndrome
Every person with Down syndrome is a unique individual. Often students will have strong empathy with others, good social skills, good short-term memory and visual learning skills. Sarah answers some questions about what it's like to have Down syndrome.
It appears then that they may have a limited ability to block the affect of these feelings on themselves, no matter what the source. We have found, too, that people with Down syndrome may be even more sensitive to anger than to other emotions.
4,5 A Finnish study showed that, of a population of 129, only 9% had shown severe irritability, disturbing behaviour and physically attacked others, and 4% had been difficult to manage or even dangerous to others. 3 These aggressive behaviours were statisti- cally significant amongst male patients rather than females.
Use this language when referring to Down syndrome and people who have Down syndrome: People with Down syndrome should always be referred to as people first. Avoid: "a Down syndrome child" or "Down's child" - it should be "a child with Down syndrome."
Although many children with Down syndrome have physical and mental limitations, they can live independent and productive lives well into adulthood. About one half of children with Down syndrome are born with heart problems, including atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, and endocardial cushion defects.
Can a couple with Down syndrome have children? It is often difficult for a couple with Down syndrome to conceive a child due to low fertility in the male and lack of ovulation in the female and the likelihood of entering menopause early.
THE world's oldest Down's syndrome sufferer who was never expected to live beyond 12 has now celebrated his 77th birthday. Doctors suspected Kenny Cridge was stillborn when he arrived in 1939 with his twin sister Dorothy. Despite not being expected to make it into his teenage years, Kenny has defied the odds.
Pulmonary infectious disease is the leading cause of mortality in Down syndrome, caused by both intrinsic (morphological factors) and extrinsic (immune dysfunction) factors. Listed in each organ cartoon are genes implicated in disturbed heart, lung and immune function.
Down syndrome is often associated with people who are particularly happy, sociable, and outgoing. This may be true in general, but it's important to avoid stereotypes, even with such positive characteristics and impressions.
Most individuals with Down syndrome have mild (IQ: 50–69) or moderate (IQ: 35–50) intellectual disability with some cases having severe (IQ: 20–35) difficulties. Those with mosaic Down syndrome typically have IQ scores 10–30 points higher than that.
Some drive themselves in a car, while others are more challenged. Because many people with Down syndrome get around easily, those individuals may be able to live on their own, whether they're completely independent and living by themselves, or they live in a group setting with friends or family, Dr. Vellody says.
A new case of pregnancy in a 29-year-old woman with trisomy 21 is described. She gave birth to a male infant, chromosomally and phenotypically normal, who died the day after delivery due to prematurity.