The Down syndrome also known as trisomy 21

Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a developmental defect caused by the appearance of the third copy of chromosome 21. It is often associated with facial appearance, physical development defects, and slight intellectual disability. People with this disorder often have 50 IQ significance regardless of the mental disability, which can differ greatly (Girod, 2012). The infected children's parents normally have a genetically stable allele with extra chromosomes that exist by accident.
The risk of this disease spreading is lower in mothers under the age of 20 and up to 3% in those over the age of 45. According to research, there are no known environmental factors or behavioral factors that can change the possibilities of this condition. The Down syndrome is also noticed when a woman is pregnant especially during prenatal screening. Most screening test the genes for health problems as recommended to the patient’s life.
Historical Aspects of Down syndrome
For many years individuals who have Down syndrome have been segregated from art, literature, and science. However, in the late nineteenth century, an English physician called John Langdon Down published a clear description of a person who has Down syndrome (Pueschel, 2010). As a result of this publication in 1866 Down syndrome was recognized as the father of the syndrome. Before Down’s description, other people had identified the characteristics of the syndrome, but it was only Down who explained it as a condition that is distinct and separate. The advances in medicine and science in the recent history have enabled researchers to investigate the characteristics of those that are affected with Down syndrome.
A French physician Jerome Lejeune in 1959 explained that Down syndrome was a chromosomal condition (Pueschel, 2010). Lejeune observed that the individuals with Down syndrome had forty-seven cells instead of the normal forty-six cells that are present in each cell. Lateron, it was noted that the characteristics that are associated with Down syndrome are as a result of an extra partial or whole copy of chromosome 21. In 2000 an international group of scientists were successful in identifying and cataloging the 329 genes that are on chromosome 21. This success made it possible for the significant advancements in the research on Down syndrome.
Facts about the Down syndrome
Women who are older usually have very high chances of giving birth to children with the Down syndrome because of the availability of duplicate copies of chromosomes. In normal circumstances, Down syndrome has three copies either partial or complete of the chromosome 21. Individuals who have this conditions are usually prone to getting epilepsy and the Alzheimer disease. In this case, it is advisable that screening is done to estimate the risk of the fetus who has the Down syndrome.
Causes of the Down syndrome
The most common causes of the Down syndrome is the extra duplication of the genetic material that is part of the chromosome 21. In this case, everybody cell has genes that are grouped with the chromosomes of the cell nucleus. Usually, there are 46 chromosomes in each cell where 23 are inherited from the mother and the remaining from the father. Therefore when the cells of a person are partial or extra full of the copy of the chromosome 21, then the person is said to have the Down syndrome (Bryan 2010). This is caused in the cell division of an error called the nondisjunction because the egg or sperms tend to have extra copies of the chromosome 21 before or at birth. In this case, about 95 percent of people with the Down syndrome got it through this procedure.
The remaining 5 percent, on the other hand, is caused by a condition called translocation and mosaicism. Robertsonian translocation happens when part of the chromosome 21 divides itself during cell division and holds itself to chromosome 14. Commonly the other region of the chromosome 21 causes the Down syndrome characters (Bryan 2010). In mosaicism, some cells are seen to have Trisomy 21 while others are considered normal. Despite the fact that a person with translocation they may still have a reasonable physical structure, they have a higher risk of giving birth to a child who has the extra 21st chromosomes.
Symptoms of the Down syndrome
Every individual that is diagnosed with this disease has either a mild, moderate or severe developmental and intellectual problems. Some of them are seen to be healthy while others might have different health problems such as heart defects. Adults and children who have the Down syndrome tend to have distinct facial features (Rosner & Semel, 2013). Even though not all of them show the same symptoms, the majority have the same features including;
• A flattened face
• Smaller head structure
• Short neck
• A tongue that has protruded
• Palpebral fissures (also known as slanting eyelids)
• Small or unusual shaped ears
• Poor muscle tone
• Short, broad hands that have a single crease in the palm
• Very short fingers as well as little hands and feet
• Excessive flexibility
• Colored spots that have tiny spots in the iris known as the Brushfield’s spots
• Short in body height
The majority of infants who have this condition usually have an average size, but they still growing slowly but remain shorter as compared to children their age.
Awareness of Down syndrome
The month of October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month a time when knowledge is spread in regards to this condition. October is a time when people with Down syndrome are celebrated, and people get to know of our abilities and achievements. It is all about celebrating the skills and not celebrating disabilities. We all have the chance to learn about the history of Down syndrome, and people get to understand how it feels to be affected by it through the stories of individuals that have this condition (Healy, 2010). People who have Down syndrome together with their loved ones can visit sites like Buddy Walk to spread awareness about Down syndrome as well as speak out about their needs. Parents play a significant role in teaching children with Down syndrome more about the condition and how to advocate for themselves while still giving them love, support, and encouragement.    
Benefits of a teacher discovering the Down syndrome from a student
The most important influence of identifying this condition in early development is the daily activities and interactions within the school and the family. Kids found to have the Down syndrome tend to benefit from the structured learning opportunities. In this case, parents are encouraged by teachers to access and early intervention and learning services that exist from infancy. Most of the child’s development will improve from early childhood skills. There should also be a socially appropriate behavior encouragement and expectations immediately the child begins (Healy, 2010). The benefit of this set up is that there is a boundary setting just as the other kids have. Parents who have children with the Down syndrome also have the same parenting style just like any kid. For children, on the other hand, there is consistency, therefore, this approach is considered important
Educational Neuroscience of the Down syndrome
According to the neuroscience education, the Alzheimer disease is familiar to people who have Down syndrome. In most cases, the Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that affects the memory, problem-solving and the language (Dierssen, 2014). It is also discovered that adults who have the Down syndrome over 40 years tend to have tangles and plaques similar to the ones that have the Alzheimer disease. The information, in other words, shows that any person who is diagnosed with Down syndrome usually end up developing the Alzheimer’s disease.
Conclusion
The Down syndrome is a condition that is seen to affect the normal functioning of the body. As elaborated in the essay. Individuals who have this situation tend to have different characteristics as compared to other people. However, when this disease is early discovered, some ways make the life of the victim normal.





References
Bryan, J. (2010). Living with Down syndrome. Austin, Tex: Raintree Steck-Vaughn.
Dierssen, M. (2014, October 9). Neuroscience and Disorders of the Nervous System. Retrieved October 9, 2017, from https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=1D9311F31A4C422D9030D97A67C850E6&CID=1A8CA78BA5426C551163AC9DA4446DF6&rd=1&h=Mk0AsvvlNVq9Sy4aZRrQNW-e3pBAlNwzZqpi6_JsoSE&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2freport.nih.gov%2fbiennialreport0809%2fPDF%2fCh2_Neuroscience.pdf&p=DevEx,5439.1
Girod, C. M. (2012). Down syndrome (Vol. 2). San Diego, CA: Lucent Books.
Healey, J. (2010). Disability rights and awareness. Thirroul, N.S.W.: The Spinney Press.
Pueschel, S. M. (2011). An Overview of Down syndrome. New York, NY: Association for Retarded Citizens of the United States.
Semel, E. M., & Rosner, S. R. (2013). Understanding Williams’s syndrome: behavioral patterns and interventions. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum