In this post, I talk about Down syndrome and how you can support and help your child thrive.
Read about how you can help them at home and find out what their school can do to best support them.
What is Down Syndrome?
Down syndrome is a condition where someone has an extra chromosome.
Chromosomes are parts of cells where our DNA is stored. Each human cell typically contains 23 pairs of chromosomes.
Down syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21 because the person has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two.
Trisomy, “three bodies”, is a medical term for an extra chromosome in addition to the usual two in the pair.
This condition happens by chance, and it is not inherited.
Characteristics of Down Syndrome
Having Down Syndrome usually means a child will also have a learning disability.
They might have a lower IQ and cognitive skills.
Although every person with Down Syndrome is different, it might often be easy to recognise a person with this condition.
They will have a flattened face, the bridge of their nose, and almond-shaped eyes.
People with Down syndrome will usually have short necks and smaller ears.
Their hands and feet might be smaller.
They are also shorter than people their age and often have poor muscle tone and loose joints.
Types of Down Syndrome
There are three types of down syndrome.
- Trisomy 21 makes up 95% of people with Down Syndrome
- Translocation Down Syndrome- 3% of the Down Syndrome Population
- Mosaic Down Syndrome – the remaining 2%, it is a “mixture” of the two types above
Risk Factors and Screening
The probability of Down Syndrome increases with the age of the mother.
Mothers over 35, when pregnant, are more likely to be affected than the younger ones.
You can usually choose to have a screening test during pregnancy to see if your child is likely to have Down Syndrome.
However, nothing is ever 100% certain.
There is a blood test that the doctors can carry out to give you a probability figure, and if the risk is high, they may offer you a diagnostic check.
It may involve examining samples of the placenta, amniotic fluid (the liquid that surrounds the baby), or umbilical cord blood.
Issues and health problems related to having Down Syndrome
People with Down syndrome often face health problems.
Their development is also affected.
Typical issues they may experience are:
- Eye diseases
- Hearing problems
- Heart defects or conditions
- Ear infections
- Some of them may also have Autism
Communication and Speech difficulties
Children with Down syndrome may experience speech and communication issues.
Their speech might be delayed and not be at the same level as their social development and social understanding.
They are, however, good at non-verbal communication and using gestures to communicate.
These communication problems might be due to specific impairment in the phonological loop component of working memory.
Working memory is part of executive functioning, and I wrote a post about it here.
Additionally, the hearing problems that most people with Down Syndrome experience may cause difficulties with speech.
They are also known to have oral-motor difficulties. It has to do with the ability to move their mouth, and it also affects feeding and chewing.
How you can support your child with Down Syndrome
Support your child with Down Syndrome at home
Down syndrome is a lifelong condition.
There is no cure for it.
There are, however, ways of ensuring that children and people with Down Syndrome have a good quality of life and are a part of the wider society.
Parents are their children’s most essential “therapists” and can deliver various interventions through daily interactions.
Speech and Communication
Parents can help by encouraging good communication skills from an early age.
Please read my post about how you can help your child boost their talking and understanding to get ideas on how to do it.
You will be able to improve your child’s vocabulary, grammar and general communication skills with patience and consistency.
Here is the summary of my post and the ideas on how to help your child communicate:
- Slow down when you speak
- Keep it short and simple
- Use your child’s name to get their attention first
- Give them time to process the information and respond to you
- Use gestures, actions and pointing. Children with Down Syndrome often learn to use Makaton and PECS to communicate. I write about them in this post
- Repeat over and over again new words and phrases so they can learn them
- Don’t ask too many questions not to overwhelm them
- Add on to what your child says to develop their language
- Talk about things as they happen, narrate what you’re doing
- Use playtime as an opportunity to talk
- Read to them. It will support their vocabulary and grammar development. Reading to them will also help with “auditory discrimination”. It is when they can recognise the sounds that make up words and are essential to phonological awareness. Read my post here if you want to know more about phonological awareness
- Emphasise keywords when talking
- Practice taking turns by playing different games
Address coexisting health problems
It is crucial to address all the possible health problems children with Down Syndrome may experience. I mentioned them above.
Your child might need help with their hearing or vision, so regular health checks are essential.
Staying active
It might be likely that your child might need physiotherapy in addition to speech and language therapy due to their low muscle tone.
They will also probably access occupational therapy to help them develop their “life skills” like feeding, dressing up or personal care.
Try to encourage your child to be active.
Physical activity and exercise will help them stay healthy.
It is also essential that your child attends group activities so they can learn by coping other children.
Interaction
- Play and sing with your child and read together- these will help them with their social skills and their speech and communication
- Learn Makaton together so you can communicate better
- Help them be calm and settled, and set predictable routines. Try to have your meals, activities and bedtime at the exact times
- Praise them when they learn a new skill and celebrate their little successes to keep them motivated
- Be aware that they may not always tell you if they are in pain, so be vigilant to any behaviour and mood changes
- Try showing your child how to do something rather than giving them lots of verbal instructions
Support a child with Down Syndrome should be getting at School
Children with down syndrome are often successful in mainstream school when appropriately supported.
Teaching Assistants (Learning Assistants/ Classroom helpers)
A child with Down syndrome may benefit from having an individual teaching assistant if their support is appropriate.
A teaching assistant who is always there, continually intervenes, prompts, prepares and reminds the child to do something may not have a good effect on a child.
This kind of support will not promote your child’s independence.
Teaching assistants should only offer support when needed making sure the child learns through working with others.
It might be a good idea for a child to have several teaching assistants who take turns supporting them.
This way, your child can have a rich experience and will not become easily attached to one person.
Other children
Daily social interactions in school are significant for your child’s development and learning.
They can learn so much by copying other children and working collaboratively together.
More able children can be guides for others.
Teachers
Ideally, the teacher should plan their teaching to facilitate collaboration between the children and make it accessible and inclusive.
Withdrawing the child from the classroom to offer extra instruction is not always good for them, even if it’s personalised and tailored to their needs.
Learning happens in a social environment, so your child with Down Syndrome should participate in the same activities other children do.
The teacher and teaching assistant must work together and understand each other.
They can deliver better teaching to the children if they are a good team.
I hope you could learn how you can support your child with Down Syndrome.
Remember that every child is different and will have different strengths and needs.
You are the expert in your child’s life and know them well. With your support and help, they will live a happy and fulfilling life.
Please let me know how you support your child with Down Syndrome in the comments.
Pin it!
