Down syndrome
Brianna Koehn
General Psychology: PSY 1130 AAW3
September 27, 2012

Hurley, Dan (2011). A Father’s Search for a Drug for Down Syndrome, The New York Times
The magazine article is very touching. It tells the story of Dr. Alberto Costa and his daughter Tyche, who has Down syndrome. Dr. Costa is a doctor and a neuroscientist and after the birth of his daughter he has devoted his medical research to Down syndrome. He has developed some promising treatments. The magazine article also notes the efforts of other researchers who have been developing noninvasive tests to allow pregnant women to determine whether their unborn babies have Down syndrome. Many pro-lifers fear that these tests will result in a “cure” for Down syndrome by eliminating children with Down syndrome. The article notes the problems researchers have had obtaining funding for Down syndrome research, perhaps because the “problem” will soon be solved by aborting babies with Down syndrome.
Dmitriev, Valentine, and Patricia L. Oelwein, Advances in Down Syndrome. Seattle: Special Child Publications, 1988. This volume covers a wide range of intervention strategies including medical, educational, special needs, parental, and living skills. Although the readability lags in places due to complex subject matter, overall this is not a concern. Concise summary and conclusion statements are used effectively to enhance the clarity of main points and important concepts. The intervention strategies are well-documented, practical, and based upon acceptably current research. The book, while factual and thorough in its coverage of each topic, also conveys a positive attitude which promotes wider acceptance of people with special needs in general, and, in particular, of individuals with Down syndrome who have been misunderstood and maligned for so long.
Nadel, Lynn, ed. The Psychobiology of Down Syndrome. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1988. The writings in this volume were papers presented at the National Down Syndrome Society Conference on The Psychobiology of Down Syndrome held in New York in December, 1987. A number of significant concepts related to perception and cognitive abilities in people with Down syndrome are reviewed, but within the context of technical, research-oriented discussions that would not appeal to the casual reader. Nonetheless, for the person seriously interested in learning more about the current direction and findings of research related to Down syndrome, this would be a viable choice. One chapter addressed the use of computers to teach language skills to children with Down syndrome. This innovative concept involves the use of speech output computers to provide a slow, consistent, non-varying speech signal which is easier for Down syndrome children to follow and imitate than ordinary conversation.
Hanson, A.A. New Math. Harvard Health Letter 16 (May 1991): 1-2. This article discusses the development of a screening test that can be used as a step in the process to detect fetuses with chromosomal disorders. Researchers have focused on pregnant women carrying a fetus with Down syndrome. In these fetuses, second-trimester blood samples tend to reveal three substances in the blood in a distinctive abnormal pattern. Guidelines developed from this research now allow healthcare workers to assess whether the risk of a chromosomal disorder for any one pregnancy is significantly higher or lower than would be expected given the woman�s age. When the risk based on the blood screening procedure seems abnormally high, further testing with ultrasound and, possibly, amniocentesis can be recommended. The end result would be to markedly increase the rate at which Down syndrome is detected prenatally, thereby enabling the prospective parents and medical professionals to have advance knowledge of whether the developing fetus was normal or not. Despite the complexity of the topic, the discussion was generally clear and concise.
Chigier, E. Downs Syndrome: A Cross Culture Study of the Child and Family in Israel. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1972.
Perhaps more than anything else, this book serves to point out how attitudes, understanding, and methodology have evolved over the past thirty years to offer Down syndrome individuals and their families a future filled with hope and possibility. The research study that was the basis for this book was conducted in Israel in the late 1960's. While the stated purpose of the book was to make a cross-cultural Down syndrome comparison between European and Oriental population groups, the findings and conclusions communicate a rather limited view of the positive effects and outcomes that are possible when persons with Down syndrome have the benefit of a stimulating and nuturing environment. Only at a rudimentary level is it acknowledged that achievement is closely linked to proper care and attention to special needs
Pueschel, Siegfried M., Carol Tingey, John E. Rynders, Allen C. Crocker, and Diane
Crutcher, eds. New Perspectives on Down Syndrome. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1987
This volume covers a broad range of topics related to the needs and interests of people of Down syndrome. Many of the topic discussions are centered on pertinent research, and these topics rely on extensive use of terminology and concepts that generally will not be familiar to the layperson. Interesting, though, is the juxaposition of several introductory-level articles which are lucid and provide detailed coverage of their topics. An example is the chapter on the history of Down syndrome which presents a thorough review of the significant events in the Down syndrome �movement� since 1866. Several contributors articulate the need for more studies with Down syndrome subjects, particularly research which assesses academic achievement While doing this paper, I learned numerous things about Down syndrome. Most people that have down syndrome are just like everybody else. I mean yeah, they have their differences, but like anybody else they just want to fit in. Before doing this paper, I have never heard Down syndrome called trisomy 21. I think that most people with Down syndrome are very brave and strong people. I have respect for them because they have many obstacles in their lives that they have to overcome in life and they accomplish it. They work hard and do the best at everything they can. I also learned that some parents have a hard time at first dealing with their child having Down syndrome but in the end they just want to do what is best for their child. I think that having a child with Down syndrome would be very challenging at times but in the end it can be very rewarding. I hope that one day they will discover a type of medicine that can cure Down syndrome but until then, I will continue to have the respect that I have for the people who have Down syndrome and the families that have to help them get through it.