Life is so arranged in the world that sometimes children are born with serious deviations in health. Often, such pathologies can be corrected with the help of medical manipulations, drugs and rehabilitation. But sometimes the disease occurs at the genetic level, and it is impossible to radically correct the situation.
The symbol of Down syndrome is increasingly appearing in families from different countries. This disease dramatically changes the lives of many parents who have been waiting for the appearance of their heir for so long. But this diagnosis is less and less perceived by people as a disease and, according to statistics, fewer and fewer parents refuse children born with the syndrome.
The birth of a small miracle
The expectation of a child in the family always brings a lot of hopes, joys for a happy future for the family. But sometimes it happens that the baby appears with a serious pathology. At this moment, all the dreams fall apart in the parents and they find themselves in a stupor.
Some make the wrong decision and abandon the baby, while others are ready to fight for the happy life of their child. Most likely, the future of such a special child with pathologies in development directly depends on the strength of spirit and love of his parents.
What is Down Syndrome
The last few decades have made a huge breakthrough in genetics as a science. Scientists have been able to answer many questions regarding the development of rare diseases that are not treatable.
Down Syndrome is a chromosomal abnormality. Each human cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. During the fertilization of the egg with a sperm, half of them from the mother and half from the father pass to the child.
Sometimes during this process another extra chromosome is added to the child’s genotype - it does not separate from the pair. This failure during the initiation of an embryo cannot be affected. As a result, 47 chromosomes are formed in the cells in the baby.
Scientists have proven that such a malfunction occurs in the 21st pair of chromosomes and such an anomaly almost always occurs when the maternal pairs are separated.
Who is more likely to have sunny babies
Genetics conducted a lot of research and found that the lifestyle of parents and their prosperity does not affect the formation of such an anomaly. Everyone knows that children with Down syndrome were born to famous and wealthy people. This random genetic “breakdown” is in the process of fertilization, and it can happen in absolutely any pair.
Scientists have found only one relationship - more often children with the syndrome appear in mothers who give birth after the age of 35-40 years. But in recent years, very often "young" children have been born in young couples, and it is not possible to fully determine the cause of such an anomaly.
How to identify an anomaly
It is possible to determine the presence of Down syndrome in the fetus from the first weeks of pregnancy. Modern technologies allow this to be done by a conventional blood test, which is taken from the veins of a future mother.
If the result is doubtful, then it is possible to conduct amniocentosis - a study of amniotic fluid. This informational analysis is more accurate, but carries the risk of miscarriage and other complications.
Symptoms
Children born with Down syndrome have a number of characteristic external features:
- flattened face and nose bridge;
- flat nape;
- short neck and fold on it;
- Mongoloid eye incision;
- half-open mouth with often protruding large tongue;
- short limbs;
- arched sky;
- furrow tongue.
Later, mental retardation clearly begins to manifest. In children with the syndrome, it is expressed to varying degrees. Often underdeveloped speech. Toddlers who have this chromosomal abnormality, under the age of 5 years, can hardly tolerate childhood infectious diseases.
It is also proved that in such children the percentage of possible leukemia is several times higher than in other children.
International Down Symbol
All over the world in the countries there are all kinds of organizations that protect people with this syndrome. Many of them unite and carry to the masses information that this anomaly does not make people with disabilities out of it. People with the syndrome live a full life and often have talents in one area or another.
The yellow-blue ribbon became the officially accepted symbol of the downs. This color ratio is no coincidence. Children with the syndrome are often called sunny, so the presence of yellow is understandable.
Often at international conferences and meetings, representatives of organizations put on the symbols of patients with Down syndrome in order to attract the public to the problems of these people. In many European countries and the USA, for many years this defect has not been considered a contraindication to children studying in ordinary schools and kindergartens.
Unfortunately, this attitude towards children with a chromosomal abnormality is only in its infancy. Now more and more often these kids have been accepted into general classes and groups in kindergartens.
Why do we need organizations to protect the rights of patients with Down syndrome
In modern society, thoughts are increasingly being voiced that people with disabilities should live a full life in society. They need to create all conditions so that they feel as comfortable as possible among other people.
Members of organizations organize campaigns that help society better get to know patients with the syndrome and understand that they are unique in their own way. Often, communication with such people can teach others to be kinder and more tolerant.
The Downs symbol carries kindness and love for others. This is how people with such an anomaly of chromosomes treat the world. They find positive aspects in everything and rejoice in any trifles - it can be a ladybug flying past or the first blossoming flower.
Often, such organizations take care of opening rehabilitation centers for children with the syndrome. There, children are taught to independently serve and communicate with other people. Speech therapists and defectologists develop speech and fine motor skills for children.
Is speculation on the symbol of Down's patients justified
Recently in the press there was a discussion of photography, in which the Pope communicates with children who have attached a yellow-blue ribbon to their clothes. Some Ukrainian journalists did not understand the topic and designated the down symbol as the national flag of their country.
On this occasion, many articles appeared in which this topic was discussed. Comments on this subject have begun to appear actively on the Internet, sometimes quite offensive to people with this disease.
According to many political analysts, such a mistake is made by Ukrainian journalists. of course, indicates their lack of professionalism, but speculating on the physical and mental disabilities of people with the syndrome is not worth it.
Modern society must be tolerant and respectful to all. You can’t assert oneself due to diseases of other people. In this regard, the international organization for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities expressed its opinion and asked the media not to increase their ratings in this way.
Celebrity Syndrome
This diagnosis did not stop many people from realizing themselves and building a successful career. For example, Karen Gaffney at the age of 34 runs an organization that helps children with the syndrome adapt in society. And also, despite a paralyzed leg, she was able to swim across the English Channel, which attracted the attention of those around her to problems of people with special needs.
Pablo Pineda received several higher educations and is engaged in teaching activities. He starred in the title role of the film "Me, too," and received several international awards for it.
Tim Harris runs a large restaurant. The restaurant serves a variety of dishes for every taste. A highlight of the establishment is a friendly hug with the owner of the restaurant.
Maria Nefedova lives and works in Moscow. She is considered the only person in Russia with a syndrome that is officially employed. A woman in one of the funds conducts classes with children, and in her free time she takes part in theatrical productions.
Scottish Paula Sage, despite her diagnosis, managed to achieve good results in sports, modeling, acting and even learned to become a lawyer. She lives a full and interesting life and proves to all people with any particularities that disability is not a sentence, and each person is able to find his "place in the sun." She proudly wears a symbol of Down's disease.
On March 21 of each year, the day of a person with Down syndrome is celebrated around the world. This date is not accidentally selected. The fact is that an abnormality of development is associated with the 21st chromosome, which appears in a child in three copies.
On this day, many residents of different cities attach Downs symbols to clothes (photos are given in the article), thereby showing solidarity with them. They make it clear that in the world all are equal and deserve happiness.