Down Syndrome

• Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in a baby's cells. 3 copies of chromosome 21, instead of the usual 2 copies.
• Around one in every 1000 babies born will have Down syndrome.
• There are over 40,000 people in the UK with the condition.
• Down's syndrome is not a disease. People with Down's syndrome are not ill and do not "suffer" from the condition.
• People with the syndrome will have a learning difficulty; about half will have a heart defect needing operation after birth. However, people with Down's syndrome walk and talk, read and write, go to school and lead fulfilling, semi-independent lives. They tend to be particularly good at relating to other people, mimicry, acting, dancing and music.

• The life expectancy of people with Down syndrome has doubled since the early 1980s due to better medical care and heart operations. 44% of people with Down's syndrome today are living into their 60's.
• In the United States about 20% of adults with Down syndrome do some form of paid work.

Abuse:
As with other forms of disability and difference, children who have not been taught better may use "Downs" or "Downs Syndrome" or "Special Needs" as an abusive term for other children. This is not all that common with "Down Syndrome" though previous terms for people with Down Syndrome (such as "Mongoloid" "Mongol" (shortened to "Mong") and "Retard" have been and still are used abusively and as a result have dropped out of normal use.

"We now know that the child with Down syndrome
can gain significantly from the language and social
skills they observe in their typically-developing peers.
They flourish with exposure to the rich language and
play experiences they witness around them. We also
know that the other children, too, benefit from
having a child with special needs as a peer. "

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