Mental Disorder Research Paper

There are over 250,000 to 350,000 families in the U.S. that are affected by Down syndrome (National Down Syndrome Congress). Varying in severity, Down syndrome is a disorder that causes lifelong mental retardation (MayoClinic). This disorder is important to know about because it is usually caused when women over forty have children. This causes a mess up in the genetic code causing what is Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. I work personally with kids who have Down syndrome every day. They struggle with learning but are still very eager to learn even when they are difficult to deal with.

Down syndrome causes many symptoms; a lot of them actually affect their physical features making kids with Down syndrome easily recognizable. Most common are: flattened facial features, smaller head with shorter neck, protruding tongue, upward slanting eyes, unusually shaped ears, poor muscle tone, short hands with a single crease, shorter fingers, and excessive flexibility. These symptoms obviously lead to the fact that kids with Down syndrome will be abnormally small. Due to the abnormality of size the development of these children tends to be slower, their abilities such as crawling or walking may come slower and take more time to develop (MayoClinic). Other symptoms may also be sutures around the skull, excess skin at the neck, and white spots in the iris (Neil Kaneshiro). Because of the defects that this causes many of the children develop slowly mentally, socially and physically. They will usually have poor judgment, a shortened attention span, learning disabilities, and impulsive behavior. They also have many medical conditions that need to be taken care of, or watched carefully (Neil Kaneshiro).

 Working specifically with the children is important. They need more support than usual to keep going. Each child with Down syndrome has different needs, as the symptoms vary in severity. At my school we have a program to help these students. Since they need special care we give it to them. They are in a class room each day where they get their own attention. They work with their own teacher to develop the necessary skills they will need for life. To help develop social skills, a group of kids tutors them weekly and works on reading, money skills, and taking turns. We help them recognize how to sound out words, how to count out money, and play board games to learn team work and take turns. This is important if they are to live their own lives. Early intervention is important to help these kids along the way (MayoClinic).

 Down syndrome is most common in kids whose mother is over forty years old when they have the child. When the mother is forty or over the chances can go from 1 in 100, to 1 in 10; when you are twenty your chances are 1 in 2000 (National Down Syndrome Society). It can be diagnosed very early, often at birth based on the usual physical differences; there are also tests that can be done to diagnose Down syndrome.

 Currently there is no cure for Down syndrome, but there is treatment. Early intervention is often recommended to help these kids live almost normal lives. The cause of Down syndrome is a mess up in the genetic code called Trisomy 21. This causes the children to have social, mental, and physical problems. Down syndrome is a life time disorder, but with special care, the symptoms can be lessened. With help, these kids can lead their own normal, healthy lives.