A Parent Of A Child Diagnosed With Down Syndrome - 1270 Words

Becoming a parent for the first time is often frightening, no parent wants his or her child to be sick, disabled, or harmed in any way. It is not an experience anyone expects to have, it is a journey that is unplanned. Heather is the mother of a child diagnosed with Down syndrome. Heather shared her story, along with the everyday struggles she faces, in a personal interview about her child’s diagnosis of Down syndrome. Though she may face many struggles, she has found hope throughout different therapeutic interventions. Occupational therapy has played a key role in Kaleb’s everyday performance. As a first time mother, Heather was offered an alpha-fetoprotein blood test during her second trimester of pregnancy which screens for different types of issues the unborn baby may have. She chose to take the test and received alarming news that there was a 1:80 chance of her child having Down syndrome. According to Dictionary.com, Down syndrome is defined as a â€Å"congenit al disorder arising from a chromosome defect, causing intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities including short stature and a broad facial profile. It arises from a defect involving chromosome 21, usually an extra copy (Dictionary. Reference, 2016).† Down syndrome is a lifelong condition and is accompanied with distinctive physical features. Each case varies and has different effects, however, distinctive physical features and some degree of cognitive disabilities are often some of the most commonShow MoreRelatedDown Syndrome : A Congenital Chromosomal Disorder1371 Words   |  6 PagesDown syndrome is a congenital chromosomal disorder during maternal meiosis. This is one of the most common chromosomal disease that has been confirmed (Epstein, 2013). Down syndrome causes some symptoms in children’s physical and mental aspects, which have significant differences with other people. It may cause the life of the child is abnormal and cannot live independently in the future. With the increased population of children with Down syndrome in Australia, it becomes prominent that they stronglyRead MoreEssay on Trisomy 2: A Gift or a Curse?878 Words   |  4 Pagesnot, children diagnosed with Down syndrome get viewed as lesser of a human being than an average person. Why is that? Is it because of their looks or IQ? Is appearing different really all that different? By taking a look into what Down syndrome is, how it affects them and those around them, and how it can be treated will prove they have the potential to do more than an average person. To completely understand the concept of Down syndrome, one must understand what it is. Down syndrome, the leadingRead MoreDown Syndrom1638 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract a) Down syndrome b) Interesting topic c) Understanding why down syndrome occurs Introduction a) Who discovered Down syndrome b) What is Down syndrome Body research A. 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If they become obsessed with a topic they will talk about it all the time and learn as much about it as they canRead MoreAutism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )1364 Words   |  6 Pagesneurodevelopmental disorder generally diagnosed before the age of three. Its main factors include: repetitive stereotyped patterns of behavior, impairment in communication, and impairment in the area of social interaction (Heward, 1996). The DSM-IV â€Å"identifies ASD as part of a larger grouping, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). According the DSM-IV-TR there are five subtypes of PDD: autistic disorder, Aspergcr s syndrome (AS), childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), Rett s syndrome, and pervasive developmental