Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	8.38

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		crease, hands-on, housing, inclusion, leukemia, nondisjunction, parental, pulling-out, push-in, survival, profile, commonly, various, successful, sequence, employment
	content words:		Down Syndrome, Jerome Lejeune, United States, Disabilities Act, In May

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Down Syndrome
By Jennifer Kenny

¹     Have you ever heard of Down Syndrome? Do you know what Down Syndrome is? It is a developmental disorder. It causes certain characteristics to occur. Those with the disorder often experience more medical problems than others.

²     What causes Down Syndrome? In 95% of those with the disorder, faulty cell division creates three number 21 chromosomes instead of two. That is called nondisjunction. The chance of having a child with Down Syndrome increases with the age of the mother, but the cause of nondisjunction is still unknown. A 35 year old mother has a 1 in 400 chance of having a Down Syndrome child. A 40 year old mother has a 1 in 110 chance. A 45 year old mother has a 1 in 35 chance.

³     In 1959, Dr. Jerome Lejeune discovered that the cause of Down Syndrome was an extra 21st chromosome. It is the most commonly occurring genetic condition. It is often called Trisomy 21. Twenty-five percent of miscarriages are caused by trisomy. How common is Down Syndrome? One in every 1,000 children born has it.

⁴     In the United States, 350,000 families are affected by this disorder. Around 5,000 babies are born each year with it.

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