What is Down syndrome?
Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal irregularity in human beings. Down syndrome is simply the presence of extra genetic material associated with the 21st chromosome. The effects of that extra genetic material vary from person to person. The incidence of Down syndrome in Canada is 1 in 800 births. The incidence of Down syndrome is universal regardless of gender, ethnic background, educational level or socio-economic status of the parents. More than 80 percent of children with Down syndrome are born to women under the age of 35 with the average age being 28 years. (Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB 1999).
The most significant factor limiting achievement is the intellectual challenge common to all individuals with Down syndrome. Though the impact can be severe, current research indicates that most children have only a mild-to-moderate intellectual impairment and are very capable of becoming educated, self-sufficient adults. (Rynders and Horrogin, 1996)
Down syndrome is not an illness, disorder or defect; it does not require medical treatment or prevention. However, individuals with Down syndrome can have chronic health concerns that can impede their development. Early intervention and medical support can influence behavior, activity and learning performance.
It is inappropriate to stereotype individuals with Down syndrome as having the same nature, i.e. that they are all loving and happy. They, too, are as individual as the next person; their personalities come from their families, their environment, and their need to be their own person.
'The presence of people with special needs in our society challenges everyone to acknowledge and accept individual differences and, hopefully, teaches others to view the individual first and the disability second.' (Barbara Tien, 1999)
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