Research Paper

They can live on their own

College Writing II

Sarah Danielson

Lewis University

 

 

 

 

They Can Live on Their Own

            Ruth is a 45-year-old woman who is pregnant with her fifth child. She has just found out that when she gives birth to this baby girl it will have Down syndrome. She is scared, not knowing if she will be able to take care of this child nor dealing with all of the problems that the child will go through in its lifetime. After finding out that her child had Down syndrome, Ruth’s doctor told her to do some research. He told her she will learn all of the amazing things her child can achieve in their life time.  Down syndrome is a mental illness that people are born with. Many things happen in the human body, that are caused by Down syndrome. There are body features that are only common for a down syndrome child/adult. Many people believe that Down syndrome adults will never be able to leave the house and their parents will always take care of them. However, there are Down syndrome adults who live on their own. Down syndrome adults are now holding jobs and taking care of themselves. Down syndrome is a roller coaster ride throughout any person’s life, no matter if they are the one that has the mental illness or if their family member has Down syndrome. However, there are ways that those Down syndrome adults are able to move out of their parents’ house and are able to take care of themselves. Downs syndrome adults are able to live on their own in the future because of, the history of Down syndrome, the understanding of how one gets Down syndrome, the way the children are brought up, the educational system, and all of the opportunities they have when they are adults.

 The only reason that we know so much about Down syndrome is because of its history. The article by Professor Harold Ellis states that, “John Langdon Down was a truly remarkable man. He was highly intelligent, kind and a shrewd clinical observer, as well as being one of the founding fathers of the modern treatment of the mentally handicapped patient.” This quote shows that Down was one of the founding fathers of mentally handicapped patients. Down was the first to understand that the Down syndrome was a different kind of mental illness. The book Down syndrome by Mark Selikowitz stated, “Down syndrome does not seem to have been recognized as an entity until 1866, when Dr. John Langdon Down (1828–96), an English doctor working in Surrey, first described the characteristic features of the syndrome.” This shows that if it were not for Down to first understand what Down syndrome is, we would not be this far in the medical research of Down syndrome. Even though Down found the mental illness, Selikowitz states that, “de Waardenburg had suggested in 1932 that Down syndrome might be caused by a chromosomal abnormality it was some time before this was confirmed.” Showing that because of Downs work on Down syndrome, de Waardenburg was the first to mention that it had something to do with chromosomes. After both of these men, many researchers studied Down syndrome. However, without either of these men, Down syndrome might not have been this well known in the world.

A child gets Down syndrome in the womb, when they are still developing. In the book Down syndrome by Mark Selikowitz mentions, “All children with Down syndrome have the extra critical portion of chromosome 21 in their cells.” This is the reason for the mental illness. When a child is developing in the womb and the genes are being created, from both parents, extra chromosome 21 is developed which causes Down syndrome. Although, there are sometimes different factors that make Down syndrome, not one Down syndrome case is the same. However, because of the extra chromosomes and the technology we have today, it is easier for parents to find out whether their child will have Down syndrome. In an article by David Patterson and Nancy Roizen, “Calculation of the frequency of Down's syndrome depends on whether maternal age, gestational timing of diagnosis, and case loss due to prenatal diagnosis and termination of pregnancy are taken into account”. This quote shows that the age of the mother has something to do with Down syndrome. Although, in the book Down syndrome by Mark Selikowitz says, “women over 35 years give birth to only one-third of all children with [Down] syndrome”. This quote means that not only women over thirty-five give birth to Down syndrome children. Age does not have anything to do with giving birth to a Down syndrome child. Mark Selikowitz also said that, “two-thirds of all children with the syndrome are born to mothers under 35 years, with 20% of all children with the syndrome born to mothers who are under 25 years”. The quote by David Patterson and Nancy Roizen also explains that with the advanced technology finding out if your child will be born with Down syndrome is easier. Before the 1970s, people would find out if their child had Down syndrome when that child was born. However, David Patterson and Nancy Roizen also state that because of the early diagnosis, many women are stopping the pregnancy altogether. Down syndrome does not hurt the baby; they just look different and use their brains in different ways. They can achieve just as much as any person, they just need parents that will make sure that they can get there, and not be given up on before they are already born.

            When Down syndrome children are born, they normally act and look different. In an article by Christopher Cunniff stated that doctors evaluate the newborns for, “Feeding problems, Congenital hearing loss with objective testing, such as brainstem auditory evoked response, and heart defects.” This quote shows that there are other problems with a Down syndrome child’s body other than facial markers. Between the ages one to 5, doctors look at how the child is growing and “Discuss symptoms related to obstructive sleep apnea, including snoring, restless sleep and sleep position.” (Cunniff 446) This quote shows that Down syndrome children have other health problems that affect their everyday life. Nevertheless, the doctors make sure that they take the best care of them to have a healthy life. Once the child becomes between the ages of five to thirteen, Cunniff states that doctors, “Obtain a history and perform a physical examination with attention to growth and developmental status, obtain audiologic evaluation annually, and obtain ophthalmologic evaluation annually.” This quote shows that, after the age of five doctors continually monitor the same health problems they have had since the child was born. When the Down syndrome child becomes between the age of thirteen and twenty-one, Cunniff states that doctors start, “[discussing] skin care, [talking] about the recurrence risk of Down syndrome with the patient and her family if she were to become pregnant, and [discussing] appropriateness of school placement.” This shows that after the age of thirteen they are treated like any normal girl or boy without Down syndrome. They are told the risks of having Down syndrome and the average teenager care. This is when the Down syndrome children start learning how to live and function on their own.

Down syndrome children go through school like other child. In the beginning they learn about the alphabet, sounds, how to use a calendar, counting, number identification and everyday life situations. Mark Selikowitz stated that schools that deals with Down syndrome children have, “more opportunity for the child’s self-esteem to be enhanced, as [he or she] is among equals in [the] school environment.” Showing that children with Down syndrome do better in a school environment than they would being home schooled. Down syndrome children need school to make sure that they one day are able to live by themselves and make friends.  The school system also teaches them how to cook, so if they are ever hungry they are able to make their own food. However, there would not be as good of education programs today if there was no research. Deborah Fidler stated that, “neurobiological findings in Down syndrome can inform education”. Showing that without research we might not be as advanced in Down syndrome education as we are right now. Fidler also stated in the article that, “Down syndrome has been the focus of more behavioral and educational research than most other genetic disorders.” Showing that Down syndrome is a huge important to our world. That we make sure that our children no matter what disorder have the best chances in life. Not only is there the education process that is helping these children out there, there are also programs to help even more. In an article the author said, “As people with Down syndrome are living longer, it is important they have the life skills to be productive individuals.” Meaning that since more and more of the Down syndrome adult live longer they are able to achieve more. They are able to get more out of life when they have good education and program to help them. One of the programs that the author writes about is, “The ALIVE! Program explores a variety of topics to learn and practice important life skills, such as employment, healthy relationships, education, etc. and these concepts are delivered in an educational, fun, and meaningful way”. The quote explains that there are programs out in the world that are helping Down syndrome children and adults. “The Alive” program helps Down syndrome children and adults learn everyday tasks, that will make sure that they can live on their own. This will help them achieve more in life, by making sure they can get jobs and live by themselves.

Down syndrome children can grow up to be great adults and achieve as much as a normal human.  In the book Down syndrome by Mark Selikowitz stated that, “in the past, parents were often told to treat their adult son or daughter with Down syndrome according to his or her mental age.” However, this is wrong, Selikowitz said that many parent would dress their adult child in little kid outfits. This is the worst thing that a parent could do. It makes their child believe that they can be waited on for the rest of their life. Parents instead need to treat their child the way the actual age is. If they are in their twenties they need to be told to get a job, and to push them to continue in school. In the newspaper “The Fort Morgan Times” reporter Nat Hentoff interviewed a young woman, Melissa Reilly, who has had Down syndrome for Twenty Five years. In the news paper article, Hentoff writes that Melissa, “travels to represent the Down syndrome community internationally, and is a Special Olympian who brings home gold medals in skiing, cycling and swimming.” In this quote from the article, shows that even though she has Down syndrome, Melissa still competes in sports, and even competes in the Special Olympics. This proves that Downs syndrome children and adults can achieve great things in life, if they just work hard. Afterwards Hentoff writes, “Additionally, [Melissa] interns for a Massachusetts state senator and tutors pre-school students with Down syndrome in math and reading." This quote shows that not only can Down syndrome children and adults competed in sports but they can still do the same job as any person. Melissa interns at the Massachusetts state Senate, means that she has the brains to get an Internship there that many people wish they were able to.

In conclusion, Down syndrome adults are able to live on their own in the future because, the history of Down syndrome, the understanding of how one gets Down syndrome, the way the children are brought up, the educational system, and all of the opportunities they have when they are adults.  John Langdon Down founded Down syndrome; he is the first person to identify the mental disorder. Down syndrome starts the womb. The 21 chromosomes are the ones that are effected for a child to end up having Down syndrome. With technology today many people find out if they are having a Down syndrome child sooner. This is effecting the amount of Down syndrome children in the world today. When a child is born, they could have many health hazards. The child will have certain facial qualities that are only on Down syndrome children. However, doctors make sure that each child is taken the best care of, and is treated the same as any other child. Education in this century has come a long way. In the beginning of the school year, children learn the basics like words and days of the week. As they get older, they start to learn how to cook and fill out job applications. Programs are everywhere to help Down syndrome children and adult making sure that they achieve in life. Parents were told in the past to treat their children by their mental age. However, doctors say that if the parent treat Down syndrome adults by their actual age then they will achieve more. An Adult named Melissa, who has Down syndrome, talks about all of the things that she has accomplished even though she has Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome are able to go to college, work for the government, and even compete in sports, like the Special Olympics. After doing all of her research, Ruth understood that her child will be able to achieve so much in life. He daughter will be able to get a job, live by herself, and continue to do what a normal human being can do. Ruth understands that so much life is achievable no matter if her children are normal or have a mental illness. Down syndrome adults are getting many of the same opportunities as anyone else. Ruth should feel safe that the world today knows so much about Down syndrome.  

 

 

 

Work Cited

Cunniff, Christopher. Health supervision for children with Down syndrome. Pediatrics (Evanston). 2001. Print.

Ellis, Harold. "John Langdon Down Down's Syndrome." Journal of Perioperative Practive 23.1 (n.d.): 1750-4589. Print

Fidler, DJ. "Education and Children with Down Syndrome: Neuroscience, Development, and Intervention." Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 13 (2007): 262-71. Print.

Hentoff, Nat. "Down Syndrome Adult Speaks for Herself." The Fort Morgan Times. Prairie Mountain Publishing, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

MacDonald, James D. Communicating Partners: 30 Years of Building Responsive Relationships with Late-talking Children including Autism, Asperger's Syndrome (ASD), Down Syndrome, and Typical Development: Development Guides for Professionals and Parents. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2004. Print

Roizen, Nancy J., and David Patterson. "Down's Syndrome." The Lancet (2003): 1281-9. Print.

Selikowitz, Mark. Down Syndrome: The Facts. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.