Continuing further in our section on kids with special needs, we talk about Down Syndrome today.
What is down syndrome? It is abnormality from birth. It is a chromosomal abnormality which means that a the individual has an extra 21st chromosome. Instead of 2 there are 3 of them. This extra chromosome affects the individuals physical as well as cognitive development.
This condition is also called as Trisomy 21. The medical condition arising out of this vary from individual to individual. Some may have less difficulty leading a normal while some need a lot of medical attention.
Can this be prevented? Since this is a genetic condition, it cannot be prevented, but it can be detected before birth. This can help parents become more mentally prepared to handle the situation. It is said that the risk of down syndrome increases with mothers age. However this is not very conclusively establish.
There are some extensive resources on internet which can be referred to.
- You can contact or refer to Down Syndrome Federation of India. Their website has lot of information and they also provide programs and therapies for kids with down syndrome. You can visit their website http://www.downsyndrome.in/
- Down syndrome facts http://www.medicalnewstoday.com
- National down syndrome society (US website) http://www.ndss.org/down-syndrome/what-is-down-syndrome/
- Amrit foundation India http://amritfoundationofindia.in/
In our next post we will cover toys for kids with down syndrome.
//natkhatduniya