Downs’ syndrome is a genetic disorder which is caused by an error in cell division that results in the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21. Most of the time the error occurs at random during the formation of an egg or sperm. Research shows that there are three types of chromosomal changes that can lead to Downs’ syndrome. The first type is mosaic trisomy 21. Mosaic trisomy 21 can happen when the fault in cell division happens …show more content…
The second type is complete trisomy 21. An error during the formation of an egg or sperm results in this type. The last type is translocation trisomy 21. During this chromosomal change, only part of an extra copy of chromosome 21 is in the cells. Downs’ syndrome is a very common condition. In fact, it is the most commonly occurring genetic condition. For every 691 babies, there is one that is born with Downs’ syndrome, or approximately 6,000 births per year. Downs’ syndrome can occur in people of all races. There are approximately 400,000 people with Downs’ syndrome living in the United States! English doctor John Langdon Down first said that Downs' syndrome was a different manifestation(example) of mental handicap in 1862, and in a more generally distributed report in 1866. Édouard Séguin portrayed it as independent from cretinism(a condition of severely stunted physical and mental growth) in 1944. In 1959, Jérôme Lejeune made the announcement that Downs’ syndrome resulted from an additional chromosome. …show more content…
The little fingers may curve inwards as well, and usually there is a space between the big toe and the others. Growth in height is also slower, resulting in adults who tend to have short height—the average height for men is 154 cm (5 ft 1 in) and for women is 142 cm (4 ft 8 in.) Most people with Downs’ syndrome have hearing and vision disorders. Individuals with Downs' syndrome more often than not have physical and intellectual incapacities as adults, usually this tends to affect their IQ score. They usually have mild (IQ: 50–70) or moderate (IQ: 35–50.) People with Downs’ syndrome usually show characteristics/symptoms as soon as they’re born. There is no certain age when the symptoms kick in. They’re always there and they have to adjust to it. Speaking of adjustment, did you ever wonder what people with Downs’ syndrome have to do to adjust to the condition? In almost every community of the United States, there are care groups for the families and other group associations directly involved in providing services to families of individuals with Downs’ syndrome. Even though, people with downs’ syndrome need support groups, they still fully participate in public and private educational programs. Parents that have Downs’ syndrome kids reach out to trusted friends or family members. This allows