Down's Syndrome

  • Down Syndrome
    Down syndrome continues to be the most common chromosomal disorder. According to WHO, incidence of Down Syndrome is estimated to be around 1 in 1,000 to 1 live births worldwide. Between 1979 and 2003, the number of babies born with Down syndrome increased by about 30%. The good news is that the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome increased dramatically from 10 years old in 1960 to 47 years in 2007.   
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 21 March 2016

Down’s syndrome is also known as trisomy 21. It is a congenital disorder caused from a chromosomal abnormality appearing in about one of every 800 to 1 in 1000 births. This syndrome occurs when one chromosome has an extra “part” and an error occurs in cell division, or an extra chromosome exists, resulting in 47 chromosomes. (Chromosome is a thread-like structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.)

Usually people are born with 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. When the body produces an extra chromosome or genetic material, it alters the way the body develops. Down’s syndrome is a congenital condition (something you are born with). It affects how you grow and learn new skills (development).

You should know also that it is not caused by anything the mother did or did not do during pregnancy.

Community
Developmental Challenges
Condition
Down Syndrome

Stories

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    Mitr is a vibrant community centre in Chennai for parents who have children with special needs, where you can bond with like-minded families, sit back and relax at the Special Needs Mitr Cafe, or engage in an exciting range of vocational classes and activities held for both parents and kids. Parents of children with special needs may feel isolated and disheartened coping with medical, financial, educational and emotional issues. Mitr is a centre in Chennai for serving parents of children who…
  • Treat a Person with Disability as a Regular Employee
    Mrs Neera Chawla, Director of Muskaan, an NGO which strives to empower adults with disabilities, talks about their employment programmes and how they try to make inclusion a reality. What categories of disabilities does Muskaan work with? What are the programmes you offer? We primarily work with adults who have intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities. We have a few cases of Autism also. We mostly have adult training programmes, which are ascertained according to the different…
  • Moving Bodies across Boundaries to Celebrate Universality of Love and Acceptance
    The heartwarming documentary Raising the Bar directed by Onir and presented by e.motion21 is about six young individuals from Australia with Down syndrome attending the World Down Syndrome Congress in Chennai. An interview with Karina Posanzini, CEO of e.motion21. 1. The documentary movie Raising the Bar has won awards and is doing the film festival circuit. Tell us about the movie and how did the Indian-Australian collaboration come about? Raising The Bar highlights the…
  • Her Work Gives Her An Identity and Confidence
    Varuni Agrawal is a sprightly 29-year-old young lady with Down’s Syndrome. She is a Teacher’s Assistant at Tagore International School in Delhi. Her parents and siblings, have, of course, been her support all the way. A tete-a-tete with Varuni and her parents on her desires and aspirations: Rajeev and Nita Agrawal: Varuni's parents: Varuni is a beautiful and vivacious girl. She enjoys Bollywood movies and music and loves to play music on Youtube and dance to it. When and how did you detect that…
  • Stanford Medicine: Arts and Humanities in Medicine
    The world of medicine is beginning to increasingly acknowledge the potential of expressive arts therapies such as art, music, drama, dance/movement, poetry/creative writing and play in the context of healing, treatment, psychotherapy, counselling and rehabilitation. Activities such as drawing, drumming, creative movement and play acting allow individuals of all ages to express deep-seated thoughts and feelings, improve physical, mental and emotional well-being and boost self-esteem and…
  • Anxiety, Stress and the Special Needs Parent
    The parents and families of children with special needs go through a lot of stress and anxiety in bringing up their children. Dr Roma Kumar, a Senior Consultant in Clinical Psychology, discusses various issues that these parents have to tackle on an almost everyday basis and possible solutions. Q1. Different research and surveys across the world show that more than 50% of the parents of children with disabilities suffer from anxiety, stress and depression. In your experience in India what are…
  • Empowered families encourage better development in the child
    Tamahar not only tries to develop the children with various activities, it also brings the family, the primary caregivers, into its fold to help them grow and learn with the children. Vaishali Pai is a visionary and an experienced occupational therapist who set up the Tamahar Trust in 2009 to help children with special needs find their own little spaces in this world. She shares how she would like Tamahar to reach out to more children in future. Tell us briefly the thoughts behind forming…
  • Accessibility For All at Vaccess Expo
    By  Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, a Special Educator and Rehabilitation Specialist Vaccess, a two day Expo, represents Vidya Sagar, a Chennai centre for the disabled, and its constant and persistent efforts towards Accessibility for people with disabilities. As the founder Poonam Natarajan put it so crisply, “In the past, this was understood only as the need for physical access. It meant building ramps, railings and pathways for people with visual impairments, special features in toilets,…
  • My Yogi Baba
    ‘Without saying a word, Dev can speak volumes about love and goodness’ Children are truth personified, feels Parul Kala as she talks about Dev, her son with Down's syndrome.  Last year I had to fill out in Dev’s school notebook " what I love about Dev". I wrote the following adjectives: Happy Loving Human Athletic Determined Artistic Persistent Cute Cuddly Warm Affectionate Full of life But we are .....Alike Yes, Dev was born with Down’s Syndrome 10 years ago. But as he grew up, his…
  • Downs is the new UP in my life
    Ritu Vyas thinks children with Down's Syndrome are no different from others. All they need is patience and understanding for their talents to flourish D is 11 years old. When he was around 7, his parents noticed he is attracted to colours and has an interest in painting. They hired a painting teacher for him. But his tiny fingers were incapable of holding a brush properly. The painting teacher gave up on him and said he can never become a painter. The parents,…

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