The most common form of Down syndrome is known as Trisomy 21. Individuals with Trisomy 21 have 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46 in each of their cells. The most common form of Down syndrome is known as Trisomy 21. Individuals with Trisomy 21 have 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46 in each of their cells. The condition results from an error in cell division called non-disjunction. Prior to or at conception, a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or the egg fails to separate.

As the embryo develops, the extra chromosome is replicated in every cell of the body. This error in cell division is responsible for 95 percent of all cases of Down syndrome. Having an extra copy of this chromosome means that each gene may be producing more protein product than normal. Cells seem to tolerate this better than having not enough protein, or having altered protein due to a mutation in the DNA sequence. The condition leads to impairments in both cognitive ability and physical growth that range from mild to moderate developmental disabilities. Through a series of screenings and tests,

Down syndrome can be detected before and after a baby is born. The only factor known to affect the probability of having a baby with Down syndrome is maternal age. That is, less than one in 1,000 pregnancies for mothers less than 30 years of age results in a baby with Down syndrome. For mothers who are 44 years of age, about 1 in 35 pregnancies results in a baby with Down syndrome. Because younger women generally have more children, about 75% – 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to younger women.

How do people get Down syndrome?

Down syndrome occurs because of an abnormality characterized by an extra copy of genetic material on all or part of the 21st chromosome. Every cell in the body contains genes that are grouped along chromosomes in the cell’s nucleus or center. There are normally 46 chromosomes in each cell, 23 inherited from your mother and 23 from your father. When some or all of a person’s cells have an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21, the result is Down syndrome.

There are normally 46 chromosomes in each cell, 23 inherited from your mother and 23 from your father.Down syndrome is typically caused by what is called non-disjunction. If a pair of number 21 chromosomes fails to separate during the formation of an egg (or sperm), this is referred to as non-disjunction. When that egg unites with a normal sperm to form an embryo, that embryo ends up with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the normal two. The extra chromosome is then copied in every cell of the baby’s body. Non-disjunction events seem to occur more frequently in older women. This may explain why the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome is greater among mothers age 35 and older.

What are the symptoms of Down syndrome?

Symptoms is really a misnomer. People have Down syndrome and their characteristics. Despite the variability in Down syndrome, individuals with Down syndrome have a widely recognized characteristic appearance. Typical facial features include a flattened nose, small mouth, protruding tongue, small ears, and upward slanting eyes. The inner corner of the eyes may have a rounded fold of skin (epicanthal fold). The hands are short and broad with short fingers, and may have a single palmar crease.

White spots on the colored part of the eye called Brushfield spots may be present. Babies with Down syndrome often have decreased muscle tone at birth. Normal growth and development is usually delayed and often individuals with Down syndrome don’t reach the average height or developmental milestones of unaffected individual.

How is Down syndrome treated?

No cure exists for Down syndrome. But physical therapy and/or speech therapy can help people with the disorder develop more normally. Screening for common medical problems associated with the disorder, followed by corrective surgery, can often improve quality of life. Moreover, enriched environments significantly increase their capacity to learn and lead a meaningful life.

Interesting facts about Down syndrome

• Down syndrome is really the only trisomy compatible with life. Only two other trisomies have been observed in babies born alive (trisomies 13 and 18), but babies born with these trisomies have only a 5% chance of surviving longer than one year.
• In 90% of Trisomy 21 cases, the additional chromosome comes from the mother’s egg rather than the father’s sperm.
• Down syndrome is the most common genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal abnormality. It affects 1 out of every 800 to 1,000 babies.
• Down syndrome was originally described in 1866 by John Langdon Down. It wasn’t until 1959 that a French doctor, named Jerome Lejeune, discovered it was caused by the inheritance of an extra chromosome

]]> http://downsyndrome.com/what-is-down-syndrome/feed/ 62 http://downsyndrome.com/how-to-add-a-new-post-article-in-wordpress/ http://downsyndrome.com/how-to-add-a-new-post-article-in-wordpress/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:27:12 +0000 http://downsyndrome.com/?p=3595 Posts are added to your site regularly and will probably be one of the most common and frequent tasks you will do. Think of posts as also being articles. Learn how to efficiently add new posts with this easy video.

New Post

To create a new post for your blog, click on the dropdown arrow next to the posts heading in the left-hand side bar to open the posts module. Click on Add New in the posts module to be taken to the Add New Post screen.

This will allow you to add a new post to your blog. There are a lot of options on this page which will be covered in more detail in other videos.

Create New Post

The most important elements are the post title, editor, categories, and the publish section. The first thing to do is enter a post title and then the tab key to move into the editor section, or click your mouse in the editor section of the screen. Next, type or paste your text into the visual editor.

Post Formatting

You can choose a post format which will determine how your website will display this post. For example, you could have a standard blog post with a title and paragraph, or a short aside which omits the title and only contains the excerpt.

If this format option is missing from your dashboard, it is because your website does not support post formatting. You will need to see your web developer to get post formatting activated.

Categories & Tags

Assign the post to a category to determine where your post will appear on your website.

Preview and Save

Once you have finished all your editing, simply click on the preview button in the publish module in the right-hand side bar. If everything looks good and you are happy with the changes, you can click on the save button located next to the preview button.

If you are ready to publish your new post, you can publish your changes for the rest of the world to see.

1. Brie Video

Shelly Giard, one of our wonderful, long-time members of Downsyndrome.com just created a YouTube site for her daughter Brie in order to raise awareness for the upcoming Down syndrome month. She wants to share her wonderful little girl with the World and of course spread the joy she receives every day from her little angel. You can visit her YouTube channel here and add her as a friend and see her profile on Downsyndrome.com here

Shelly has also writes a Downsyndrome.com blog that is fantastic …

“Abrielle (Brie) has traveled leaps and bounds in the past year as I am happy to share the highlights. She is quickly approaching 2, which is surreal to me as I recall the very day I found out about this special blessing that I would have the honor to raise. My journey thus far has not been nearly as difficult as many stories I read, however the message is still the same. I, like all of you… have been chosen by God to love, embrace and mold a special child. It is up to me and those that are part of her life to encourage, uplift and teach her that she can do anything she puts her mind to. I have become her cheerleader… as I am to all of my children; but I would be lying if I said my experience with her was not different. Abrielle is different; she has more patience and less frustration than I have ever had, she smiles even when she should frown, she laughs at the simplest things and she never EVER gives up on a task… her determination and finesse truly amazes me. Want to know the most extraordinary thing about all of these qualities that she possesses? She has rubbed all of these qualities off onto to me and I find that I am more patient, happier even when my day is not so great and my already determined nature has been strengthened by her existence…..”

You can visit here site here.

If you are interested in writing your own Downsyndrome.com blog, feel free to message me and we’ll get you all setup. Also, if you would like to register for Downsyndrome.com visit this link

Morbi eget quam vel mauris tristique euismod sed at leo. Proin velit justo, dictum ac tempor vitae, scelerisque id odio. Praesent at libero elit, eget hendrerit sapien. Maecenas sed quam eu sapien porttitor sodales eget posuere ligula. Suspendisse potenti. In eget tortor nec nisi mattis venenatis. Duis cursus quam iaculis ante mollis non pharetra odio vulputate. Aenean a lectus at tortor ultricies rhoncus. Praesent in lorem ut risus pharetra ornare. Nunc condimentum lorem sit amet sem malesuada bibendum. Maecenas ligula velit, iaculis non tincidunt ac, faucibus eget tellus. Pellentesque et velit auctor dui consequat porta. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam molestie auctor varius. Ut vitae diam non nulla pretium commodo at ac purus. Nullam quis magna eu quam porta faucibus sit amet vitae metus.

Cras aliquet ullamcorper rutrum. Mauris ut purus est. Aenean metus lorem, faucibus quis gravida vel, suscipit ut est. Duis nec turpis vel magna feugiat dapibus. Integer vitae ligula a metus rutrum varius. Integer vestibulum, mi sed malesuada mollis, enim orci molestie nulla, ut porttitor nibh mauris non orci. Vestibulum erat eros, vulputate et consequat vitae, ullamcorper sed nisi. Donec scelerisque ipsum mi, nec accumsan nunc. Curabitur suscipit diam odio. Integer rhoncus pretium nisl sit amet faucibus. Phasellus odio odio, convallis eu sagittis in, ultricies vel sapien.