Get it Down: 31 for 21 Day Twelve

Christina over at Prince Vince Meets the World had this up...I like it so I'm posting it too!

• One in every 800- 1000 babies is born with Down syndrome.
• Down syndrome is not related to race, nationality, religion or economic status.
• Individuals with Down syndrome are people first, with the same rights and needs as everyone else.
• Businesses are seeking young adults with Down syndrome for a variety of positions. They are being employed in small and medium sized offices: by banks, corporations, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants. They work in the music and entertainment industry, in clerical positions and in the computer industry. People with Down syndrome bring to their jobs enthusiasm, reliability and dedication.
• There’s no “S” on Down… it is Down syndrome (not Downs syndrome)
• Rather than saying “Down syndrome baby/child” say “A baby/child with Down syndrome. They are people first.
• The s on syndrome is not capitalized.
• Down syndrome is not an illness. A person either has Down syndrome or they do not. Having Down syndrome does not mean the person is sick.
• There are three types of Down syndrome- 1. nondisjunction, 2. mosaicism, 3. translocation
• Down syndrome occurs when there are three, rather than the usual two, copies of chromosome 21 in every cell of the body. Instead of 46 chromosomes, a person with Down syndrome has 47.
• The incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother. But due to higher fertility rates in younger women, 80 percent of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.
• People with Down syndrome have an increased risk for certain medical conditions such as congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer’s disease, childhood leukemia, and thyroid conditions. Many of these conditions are now treatable, so most people with Down syndrome lead healthy lives.
• Down syndrome happens before conception. There is nothing either of the parents did, or didn’t do, to cause it. It happens when the egg or sperm, is produced with an extra copy of chromosome 21.
• Down syndrome is a Trisomy which means there are 3 copies, instead of 2, of any given chromosome. Down syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21 because of the extra 21st chromosome.
• It was Dr. Jerome Lejeune that first discovered Down syndrome in 1959, when he found the extra 21st chromosome. Some people give credit to John Langdon Down for discovering Down syndrome but he just first described the common characteristics attributed with Down syndrome.
• Common characteristics that people who have Down syndrome may have include single transverse palmar crease (a single instead of a double crease across one or both palms), almond shaped eyes, a larger than normal space between the big and second toes, and white spots on the iris known as Brushfield spots.
• Thankfully, due to advances in medical technology, individuals with Down syndrome are living longer than ever before. In 1910, children with Down syndrome were expected to survive to age nine. Now close to 80 percent of adults with Down syndrome reach age 55, and many live even longer.
• Down syndrome does not affect the feelings: happiness, sadness, anger, love, and other human feelings are the same for every one with or without bonus chromosome. So is the need for love and care.
• Children with Down syndrome have been included in regular academic classrooms in schools across the country. In some instances they are integrated into specific courses, while in other situations students are fully included in the regular classroom for all subjects. The degree of mainstreaming is based in the abilities of the individual; but the trend is for full inclusion in the social and educational life of the community.
• People with Down syndrome date, socialize and form ongoing relationships. Some are beginning to marry. Just look at Sujeet Desai and Carrie Bergeron!