Down’s Syndrome
Sociology of Disability

Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality in humans. Down syndrome is called a few different names like Down’s syndrome and trisomy 21. It is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. Down syndrome is normally connected with growth delays, some intellectual disability and characteristic facial features. An average young adult living with Down syndrome has the mental age of an eight or nine year old child. The average intelligence quotient in a young adult with Down syndrome is fifty. Individuals living with Down’s syndrome also have a learning disability, which impairs their education. Every person is different and this can change from individual to individual. Babies born with Down syndrome are more likely to have certain heart defects or childhood leukemia. It is believed that Down syndrome has always existed. In 1866 an English doctor named John Langdon Down first published a description of the condition. The condition was named after him several years later. It was not until 1959 that Professor Lejeune proved that Down syndrome is actually a chromosomal irregularity and that the individuals with Down syndrome had forty-seven chromosomes where there are normally forty-six. Down’s syndrome affects people of all different races, ages, and economic background.
People living with Down syndrome usually need to have a certain order. Many individuals need a certain routine and a sense of uniformity in order to rationalize and control their lives. If an individual living with Down’s syndrome happens to have a change in their life, it can make them disoriented and frightened. Many people have thought that a person with Down’s syndrome is stubborn. That is not the case. Many people with Down’s syndrome are sometimes stubborn because they simply do not understand