In recent decades there has been a revolution regarding Down syndrome. However, of this widespread syndrome (tens of thousands of people in Spain and millions around the world have it) most people only know a few outdated and erroneous biases.
It's time we changed this, and just by reading this article you will do your bit in that momentous change..
1. Down syndrome occurs when the egg or sperm that fertilizes it have one copy of each chromosome except for chromosome 21 which have one copy of more.
As a consequence, the fertilized egg will have two copies of each chromosome except 21 which will have three copies. That is why Down Syndrome is also called trisomy 21 (and International Down Syndrome Day is 3/21, March 21).
Here we can see a real image of the karyotype (set of chromosomes) of a person with Down Syndrome, where the three chromosomes 21:
two. Down syndrome originates from the creation of sex cells (ovum inside the woman or sperm inside the man); that is, before conception. Therefore, nothing done or not done during pregnancy can cause or cure Down Syndrome.
3. Down in English means down, but Down Syndrome is not called that because your intellectual capacity is below, but because the doctor who in the 19th century described the syndrome in detail his name was John Langdon Down.
4. John Langdon Down called the syndrome mongolism, and so it was known for a long time, because at that time it was believed that the Mongolian race was less evolved and less intelligent.
Dr. Down thought that his patients, slit-eyed and intellectually retarded, had regressed to the Mongolian stage. Mongolia submitted a complaint to the WHO (World Health Organization) and in 1965 the inadmissibility of the term was recognized mongolism and it was changed by Down Syndrome.
5. Just a few decades ago it was thought that the IQ of most people with Down syndrome was between 25 and 55, which is equivalent to un moderate to severe delay. Today it is known that the IQ of the majority is between 40 and 70, which is equivalent to a moderate to mild delay.
6. Until the 1970s, many were placed in nursing homes, where they spent their lives without receiving any education. Thanks to some dedicated doctors and parents most were found to be able to use a school education very well.
Then it began to become general to keep them in their families and provide them with an education.. Today children with Down Syndrome often learn to read and write and more and more they get a job. Some have successfully completed university studies.
7. The reason why it was common - and often still is - that they were attributed a lower-than-actual intellectual and learning capacity, is because they were valued for their ability to speak, which It is the capacity most affected in people with Down Syndrome.
That is, in general your brainpower is superior to your ability to speak.
8. Receiving the news that your child has Down Syndrome is very hard and requires a period of adjustment. However, after a while most parents say their child is a source of happiness for them.
Fortunately today there are many Down Syndrome foundations that provide the necessary early stimulation to children with Down Syndrome, as well as groups of parents.
Nothing relieves a new parent more than hearing from another experienced parent that their adolescent son with Down Syndrome is going to the movies alone with his friends, has a partner, and is even thinking of moving to a sheltered flat on his own..
Let me give you a case as an example. My 5-year-old daughter Lucia has Down Syndrome, and she is the greatest source of satisfaction in my life.
I know that, due to ignorance, many people when they look at it only see some different features and a difficulty to pronounce, but whoever bothers to look a little further discovers a wonderful person (with its vices and virtues, like all).
If you want to spend a few seconds looking beyond the features of a child with Down Syndrome, here is a small video in which Lucia tells me in her own way the stories that she is going to ask the Three Wise Men:
I know of several cases in which having a child with Down Syndrome has been a extra motivation in life and in the long run a more satisfying life even professionally. In my case, in addition to being a clinical psychologist I am a writer, my daughter Lucía did not come with bread but with a best seller under her arm, as I narrate in the following link.
In relation to Down syndrome, in just a few decades the phenomenon known as self-fulfilling prophecy. Previously low expectations translated into low stimulation and their potential withering away. Today it is known that their potential is greater, therefore they are offered greater opportunities for stimulation and develop superior capacities.
The integration of people with Down Syndrome into society has increased a lot in a short time, but prejudice and ignorance mean that too many times the social environment is still a difficult place for people with Down syndrome (and therefore also for those close to you).
A more informed society is a more welcoming society, so reading updated information - such as this article - is an important step. If you want to learn more about Down Syndrome, I invite you to watch the video that, as a psychologist and as a parent, I have recorded and made available on my website (audio in Spanish, subtitles in English):
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