Skip to main content
  • 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

Signs of Down's Syndrome:

Although all babies with Down's syndrome will not have the same features, they will have have some of these physical features:
•    Almond shaped eyes (unusual for their ethnic group)
•    Smaller head and hands
•    Flat nose  
•    Wide feet with short toes
•    Large tongue 
•    Poor muscle tone (appear to be floppy)
•    Short neck 
•    Joints are more flexible than usual (hyper flexibility)

Typically there are developmental delays which you must discuss with your paediatrician and make therapeutic interventions as soon as recommended.

Developmental pattern
Down’s syndrome children reach their developmental milestones later than other kids. Intellectual and developmental problems range from mild to moderate. 
•  Social interaction – Most children with Down’s syndrome enjoy and learn from social interaction with family and friends. As time goes by, they often have good social and emotional understanding.
•  Visual learning – Children and young people with Down’s syndrome generally learnvisually. They learn best from watching and copying other people, and may find it easier to take in information if it is presented with the support of pictures, gestures, objects and written words.
•  Gestures and mime – These children are often particularly good at using their hands, faces and bodies to communicate. They often enjoy drama and movement as they get older.
•  Reading ability – Reading is often a strength, possibly because it builds on visuallearning skills.
•  Learning to talk – Many children with Down’s syndrome experience significant delay in learning to talk. Most children and young people learn to talk, but it takes longer. There seem to be three main reasons for this:

  • It takes them longer to learn to control their tongue, lips and face muscles.
  • They have more difficulty remembering spoken words.
  • They often have hearing difficulties, making it hard to pick up speech.

•  Hearing and vision – Hearing difficulties are common and can contribute to speech and language difficulties. Similarly, problems with vision are also relatively common, and these can affect the ability to learn visually. However, both hearing and vision difficulties can usually be treated by therapy.
•  Learning to move – The skills needed to move around and explore tend to be delayed compared with other children. Over time many children and young people develop good motor skills and can become good at all types of sports.
•  Learning from listening – Children and young people with Down’s syndrome tend to find learning by listening difficult. This may be because they have a hearing impairment or because language is developing slowly. It also reflects particular problems with short term memory, also known as working memory.
•  Number skills – Many children with Down’s syndrome experience difficulties with number skills and learning to calculate.

People with Down’s syndrome are highly responsive to their physical and social environments. A person with Down’s syndrome has the same emotions and needs as any other person and deserves the same opportunities. Those who receive positive support and are included in the activities of the community can be expected to adapt successfully — to attend school, make friends, find work, participate in decisions that affect them and contribute to society. 

 

Condition

Stories

  • World Down Syndrome Day 2023 With us not for us with names and profile pictures of the 5 contributors
    People With Down Syndrome Want More Opportunities, Inclusion
    We speak to a few young adults with Down Syndrome who voice their opinion on World Down Syndrome Day 2023. The theme for 2023 ‘With Us Not For Us’ champions that people with disabilities have the right to be treated fairly and have the same opportunities as everyone else to improve their lives. Read or listen to what our contributors Gayatri Gupta, Pranay Burde, Aditi Verma, Sharan Delhiwala and Shaurya Mehrotra have to say. Each one of them has also shared their experiences with…
  • Youngsters with Disabilities Learn Life Skills at Supermarket
    Dr Mihir Parekh, child psychologist and special educator, has recently opened Urja Mart, a supermarket handled by youngsters with Down’s syndrome and on the Autism spectrum. Here, he talks about how the initiative will help them gain real world experience and employability skills. Dr Parekh, you have recently opened a supermarket, Urja Mart, managed by youngsters with special needs. Could you tell us a little about your unique initiative? Urja Mart is a training mart for children with special…
  • World Down Syndrome Day What Inclusion Means and Pictures of the 4 persons with down syndrome
    World Down Syndrome Day: What Inclusion Means To Me
    The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) calls for “full and effective participation and inclusion in society”. In line with this, the campaign for World Down Syndrome Day 2022 focusses on understanding what "Inclusion Means" to persons with down syndrome. We asked persons with Down Syndrome the question and we got insightful and interesting responses.    Pranay Burde Hello Everybody. Wish you all a happy World Down Syndrome Day.  To Me Inclusion…
  • Each of His Activities Add to His Achievement
    Sharan Delhiwala, who was born with Down Syndrome, has always been encouraged to live an engaged, healthy and productive life. His mother, Parini, writes about the challenges he dealt with and and how her son enjoys trying out different activities and engages socially with family and friends. Sharan was born on November 9, 2000. He is blessed with Down Syndrome. We are based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Syndrome undetected in Nigeria When he was born our doctor didn’t inform us about his diagnosis.…
  • Aditi Verma wth chef Vikas Khanna outside the cafe Aditi's Corner
    मैं अदितीस कॉर्नर को बड़ा बनाना चाहती हूं
    नवी मुंबई में अदितीस कॉर्नर को चलाने वाली हैं अदिति वर्मा, जिन्हें डाउन सिंड्रोम है। अदिति ने यह कैफे कैसे शुरू किया और वे इसका कैसे विस्तार करना चाहती हैं, इसकी कहानी पढ़ें। ऊपर की तस्वीर में अदिति शेफ विकास खन्ना के साथ है। पैरेंट टॉक/ माता-पिता के शब्दों में: (अदिति के पिता, श्री अमित वर्मा का इंटरव्यू देखें) कृपया हमें बताएं कि आपको अदिति की अवस्था के बारे में कब पता चला। आप ने उसके बारे में क्या किया? हमें उसके जन्म के ठीक बाद ही उसकी अवस्था के बारे में पता चल गया था। मेरे बहनोई डॉक्टर हैं…
  • Dr. Rekha Ramachandran on the right with her daughter Babli with down syndrome on the left
    लोगों को घूरने दो। वे सुंदर लोगों को घूर रहे हैं!
    डॉ। सुरेखा रामचंद्रन डाउन सिंड्रोम वाली एक युवती की माँ हैं और वे डाउन सिंड्रोम फेडरेशन ऑफ इंडिया की अध्यक्षा हैं। इस लेख में वे  डाउन सिंड्रोम के बारे में प्रचलित कुछ  गलत धारणाओं पर प्रकाश डालती हैं और वास्तविकता क्या है, यह बताती हैं। वे विश्व डाउन सिंड्रोम दिवस के अवसर पर सभी माता-पिता के लिए एक संदेश भी देती हैं। वर्ष 1984 में 6 बच्चों के साथ स्थापित, डीएसएफ़आई आज न केवल भारत के बल्कि मिडिल ईस्ट के भी असंख्य बच्चों को सेवाएं प्रदान करता है। डीएसएफआई उन लोगों के लिए समर्थन और…
  • Lockdown Agonies for Adolescents with Special Needs
    Alisha Lalljee, Special Educator and Counselling Psychotherapist, feels teenagers with special needs have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown as they struggle with schedule disruptions, discontinuation of therapies and issues of anxiety and sometimes aggression. Young adolescents and teenagers with special needs and disabilities have been affected severely by the Covid-19 lockdown. They are in a frazzled state – aware of coronavirus, though not always fully understanding the…
  • Mother's Day Reflections On Covid-19 Challenges
    Parul Kala handles her home, children and a changed scenario under Covid-19 with as much positivity as one can muster. She talks about what Mother’s Day 2020 means for her. The year 2020 shall be a very special year as Mother’s Days go in our memories, for a number of reasons, the most important one being of course that the entire world is experiencing an unprecedented lockdown because of the Covid 19 pandemic. I’m blessed with two children - son Dev with Down’s Syndrome is14 years old and…
  • What Does Decision Making Mean For People With Down Syndrome
    “We Decide” is the theme of the World Down Syndrome Day 2020.  It highlights how all people with Down syndrome should have full participation in decision making about matters relating to, or affecting, their lives. We speak to a few people on this topic. Nina Mehrotra, Shaurya's mother says: As you know he’s not very vocal , but he was clear about what he wants and what he decides..He says he would like to be able to decide that at some stage he can live independently…
  • Devika with Down Syndrome with her mother Ranjana Pandey
    Trust In The Ability Of Your Child With Down Syndrome
    Ranjana Pandey is the mother of Devika Pandey, a confident woman who knows her own mind. On Down’s Syndrome day, the mother recounts how her daughter, despite living with a condition, learnt to develop her own mind and the family’s pro active contribution towards it. What is the kind of independence you encourage in your daughter? To plan her day, to spend her time the way she wants to, to watch television, listen to music, choose her clothes, her style, her hair cut. Unfortunately she was…