However, because these tests require using a needle to obtain a sample from within the uterus, they carry a small increased risk of miscarriage and other complications. Down syndrome can also be diagnosed after a baby is born. Clinicians can usually tell if a baby should be tested for Down syndrome based on a physical examination. The first test, a rapid blood test FISH , confirms the presence of extra material from chromosome Results are available within a few days.
A karyotype test is a blood test that takes about one to two weeks for results. This provides further information on the type of Down syndrome, which is important in determining the chance of trisomy 21 in a future pregnancy. While there is no cure for Down syndrome, there are a variety of treatments and therapies to address a child's unique medical issues and developmental profile.
Almost half of children with Down syndrome are born with congenital heart defects. Babies with congenital heart conditions are treated by pediatric cardiologists, doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating heart problems. Treatment is based on the severity of the child's heart condition. Some mild heart defects don't require any treatment. Others can be treated with medications, interventional procedures, or surgery.
Surgery may be necessary to treat upper neck abnormalities and stomach problems. Most of the educational therapies used to address the core symptoms of Down syndrome are provided through programs run by states and local school systems.
Most children with Down syndrome can spend at least some of their time in a general education classroom with typically developing peers but some children can benefit from a smaller setting with more individual support. The average life span for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically since the early s. On average, people with Down syndrome live to about 55 to 60 years of age and some live into the 70s or 80s.
With the help of specialized educational programs and support, many children with Down syndrome learn and grow successfully. The team also decides how best to carry out the IEP.
Children with Down syndrome may attend a school for children with special needs. Parents may have a choice between a school where most of the children do not have disabilities and one for children with special needs. Educators and health care providers can help families with the decision about what environment is best. Integration into a regular school has become much more common in recent decades, and IDEA requires that public schools work to maximize a child's access to typical learning experiences and interactions.
Learning about Down syndrome. Early intervention approaches to enhance the peer-related social competence of young children with developmental delays: A historical perspective.
Infants and Young Children , 23, 73— Guralnick, M. Why early intervention works: A systems perspective. Infants and Young Children , 24, 6— Early intervention. Gross motor development and Down syndrome. Managing behavior. On the promise of pharmacotherapies targeted at cognitive and neurodegenerative components of Down syndrome.
Developmental Neuroscience , 33, — Kishnani, P. Donepezil for treatment of cognitive dysfunction in children with Down syndrome aged 10— Mohan, M. Memantine for dementia in people with Down syndrome. The development is expected to help create new treatments for problems caused by Down syndrome -- but it also raises the prospect of eliminating the condition entirely.
Since it became public last month, the breakthrough has sparked a firestorm of reaction among parents, advocates, ethicists and people with the condition, said Dr. Brian Long of Boulder, Colo. But he also wonders how tinkering with chromosomes could alter the essence of his son.
Advocates like Julie Cevallos, vice president of marketing for the National Down Syndrome Society, emphasize that the research is still early. David Egan, a year-old Vienna, Va. He has friends who've been made fun of because of their disability, who have a hard time coping with the condition. That strong reaction surprised Jeanne Lawrence, the professor of cell and developmental biology who led the research.
People may misunderstand the scope and promise of her work, she said. It likely wouldn't be possible to "cure" Down syndrome, because the condition occurs at conception, she said. Instead, it might be possible to target specific conditions: Perhaps there will be a way to treat congenital heart disease early in children with Down syndrome or to stave off Alzheimer's disease in adults, she added.
0コメント