{"id":6646,"date":"2021-10-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-07T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/?p=6646"},"modified":"2021-10-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T04:00:00","slug":"what-down-syndrome-really-means-for-the-people-who-have-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/de\/2021\/10\/what-down-syndrome-really-means-for-the-people-who-have-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Down Syndrome Really Means for the People Who Have It"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Gesundheitstipps<\/a>Geistiges Wohlbefinden<\/a> <\/div>\n\n

What Down Syndrome Really Means for the People Who Have It<\/h1>\n\n
\n\n October 7, 2021<\/span>\n\n
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\u201cWe are more alike than we are different,\u201d writes Kayla McKeon<\/a>, an essayist on the National Down Syndrome Society website about what she wishes people knew<\/a> about her and others with Down syndrome. \u201cWe have the same wants and dreams as anyone else. We can do anything anyone else can do.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Not everyone has caught up to that reality, however, and although Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal condition in the United States, it occurs in only one in 700 babies born in the United States each year. There\u2019s an estimated 400,000 people in the United States with all the interests, dislikes, strengths, hobbies, and irritating habits that make each of us distinct. As we celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month this October, that\u2019s the first thing to recognize: Prejudice can really get in the way. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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So shove it aside and take in some of the facts about Down syndrome that those who have it wish you knew. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Language matters<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
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Down syndrome is not a disease, nor is it a condition to be cured. There\u2019s a long, shameful history of names associated with people who have Down syndrome that thankfully have been rejected. In the here and now, you can find a host of helpful language guides, like this post<\/a> on the Global Down Syndrome Foundation website, which points out that the person should always come first\u2014that is, rather than leading with the condition (\u201cDown syndrome kid\u201d), you lead with the human (\u201ckid with Down syndrome\u201d). <\/p>\n<\/div>

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As simple as that. You might see \u201cafflicted with Down syndrome\u201d or \u201csuffering from Down syndrome,\u201d but those words misrepresent the condition. It\u2019s not something one suffers, like a disease, but a genetic disorder\u2014three copies of chromosome 21 where two copies more typically would be. That third copy of the chromosome often leads to medical conditions that do cause suffering and may be treated. Down syndrome itself simply is or isn\u2019t, however. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Age doesn\u2019t matter\u2014at least not as much as many people think<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
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One of the common misconceptions about Down syndrome is that it\u2019s associated with older parents. The reality is that the average age of parents of a newborn with Down syndrome<\/a> is 26. And 80% of parents are under age 35. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Forget, too, the idea that life expectancy is hugely shortened by Down syndrome. That was certainly true in earlier times of addressing the condition, when children were put into institutions where life was especially challenging. The average life expectancy then (and \u201cthen\u201d means the shockingly recent early 20th century) was an abysmal nine years. Today, when people with Down syndrome grow up with their families and are welcomed into schools and communities and workforces, the average life expectancy is 60 years. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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Language matters, part 2<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
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Humans are awkward in general, and especially awkward when facing the unknown. Meanwhile, parents to a baby with Down syndrome are adjusting to a reality they may not have expected. The Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association offers a great guide<\/a> for keeping your foot out of mouth when addressing news of Down syndrome. Some points to note: <\/p>\n<\/div>

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