You have probably heard of a genetic disorder called Down’s Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a disorder  that affects you both mentally and physically. There are many reasons children are born with Down’s Syndrome. There also many tests that tell when a mother will have a Down;s Syndrome baby. Also known as Trisomy 21, Down’s Syndrome is the most common cause of mental retardation.


    Down’s Syndrome was first found by Langdon Down in 1866. Kids with it were known as “the Mongolian type of idiot” because Down’s Syndrome children look like people from Mongolia. Langdon Down did his research and eventually wrote the “Observations on the Ethnic Classification of Idiot,” which is an essay that explains the physical and mental characteristics of a Down’s Syndrome kid. Once the paper was sent out, common people started referring to Down’s Syndrome people as Mongoloids.


    The mental effects of Down’s Syndrome range from mild to severe. Kids with Down’s Syndrome are capable of learning to read and write, but they just learn slower than us. Many of them are able to learn a specific skill which can help them succeed  in adult life. Kids with with Down’s Syndrome have different classes than us and many go to special schools. At these schools they are taught differently than us, and are able to get jobs later on in life.


    Physically a Down’s Syndrome child looks a lot different than a regular child. Kids with Down’s Syndrome often have slow physical developments and characteristics physical features. Down’s Syndrome ids have very distinct facial features. Down Syndrome kids have very distinct facial features such as small ears, a small head, flat facial structure, flat bridge of the nose, small mouth, upward slanted eyes, and round cheeks. They also tend to have flat feet, small hands, be under 5 feet tall, be double jointed, and deep creases across their hands and feet. Down’s Syndrome kids have light skin pigmentation, which means that their hair and eyes are light colors. Some children have some of these characteristics, but most have many of them.


    Down’s Syndrome people have many medical problems,too. Usually, they have throat and sinus problems because they have smaller holes in their ears, throat, and nose. These problems can lead to sleeping problems and usually lead to doctors removing the child’s tonsils and adenoids at a young age so that they won’t get a sore throat and these problems won’t occur. Down’s Syndrome also develop heart problems. These problems can be congenital heart disease or whole pieces of the heart missing. Another common problem can be Epilepsy. Epilepsy is when a person randomly has a seizure because of the lights or the action in the room.

     As I said before, there are many reasons children are born with Down Syndrome. Normally, a baby would have 46 chromosomes,but the Down’s Syndrome baby will have 47. The extra chromosome in Down’s Syndrome is labeled Chromosome 21, because the extra chromosome attaches itself to the 21st pair of chromosomes. During cell division, the number 21 chromosome somehow breaks and then becomes attached to number 21. Translocation, which is another way the chromosomes split, occurs in about 3-4% of cases of Down’s Syndrome. There is also Mosaicism, which is the least found and the most severe.


    Scientists now now know many things about Down Syndrome, however they still can’t cure it. Oh a more personal note, my older sister Giselle is Down’s Syndrome. Many of the things states above are not only facts, but things that Giselle lives with everyday. She often inspires me to learn more about this very interesting subject. Although many people think that we know everything we need to know on Down’s Syndrome, but there is still much that we can learn.    

    By: Antonia Valicenti