Is it legal to date someone with down syndrome? (2023)

Is it OK to date a person with Down syndrome?

These changes support the hopes and dreams for a satisfying and happy life for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. People of all ages with Down syndrome can and do enjoy a variety of relationships with family members, friends, acquaintances, community members, and even sweethearts and spouses.

Yes, of course. They would need first to find a normal person to marry, and by normal I assume you mean a person with a “normal” karyotype. That could be difficult. Down syndrome brings with it a distinctive appearance, shorter stature, usually mental retardation to a degree, and other health problems.

The mental capacity of a person with Down's Syndrome can vary significantly, however, legally we must always start with the presumption that a person has the capacity to make their own decisions; unless it can be shown that they lack the ability to do so.

There have been only a few reports of men with Down's syndrome fathering children. Again, if a man's partner did not have Down's syndrome, the chance that the baby would have the condition is 50%. If both partners have Down's syndrome there is a high chance of their children having the condition.

Men with Down syndrome are considered as infertile although the causes of infertility are not known in detail yet. Although this constitutes a general rule there are three confirmed cases of parenting by fathers with Down syndrome.

According to a number of medical reports, a woman with Down syndrome from Illinois, USA,  known only as Mrs K., died at the age of 83 after developing complications from a broken hip.

People with Down syndrome can expect to live to 60

In the 1940s, a child with Down syndrome had a life expectancy of 12 years. These days, their life expectancy is 60 years and a baby born with Down syndrome could live into their 80s — in line with the general population.

Misconception: People who have Down syndrome cannot have children. Reality: It's true that a person with Down syndrome may have significant challenges in rearing a child. But women who have Down syndrome are fertile and can give birth to children.

Fortunately, many adults with Down syndrome are able to live full, meaningful lives and, with some support, they are quite capable of making good choices for themselves.

The average IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50, equivalent to the mental ability of an eight- or nine-year-old child, but this can vary widely. The parents of the affected individual are usually genetically normal.

What happens if a Down syndrome person has a kid?

Some people with Down syndrome marry. Most men with Down syndrome cannot father a child. In any pregnancy, a woman with Down syndrome has a 1 in 2 chance of conceiving a child with Down syndrome. Many of the pregnancies are miscarried.

To date, no behavioral activity of the parents or environmental factor is known to cause Down syndrome. After much research on these cell division errors, researchers know that: In the majority of cases, the extra copy of chromosome 21 comes from the mother in the egg.

Both men and women can pass the genetic translocation for Down syndrome on to their children. Having had one child with Down syndrome. Parents who have one child with Down syndrome and parents who have a translocation themselves are at an increased risk of having another child with Down syndrome.

However, with appropriate medical care most children and adults with Down syndrome can lead healthy lives. The average life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome is 60 years, with many living into their sixties and seventies.

Because the likelihood that an egg will contain an extra copy of chromosome 21 increases significantly as a woman ages, older women are much more likely than younger women to give birth to an infant with Down syndrome.

During 2014-2018 (average) in Tennessee, was highest for Hispanic infants (22.8 in 10,000 live births), followed by Asians (15.1 in 10,000 live births), Whites (13.8 in 10,000 live births) and blacks (10.8 in 10,000 live births).

Heart and lung diseases are the leading causes of death for persons with Down syndrome. Pneumonia and infectious lung disease, congenital heart defect (CHD) and circulatory disease (vascular diseases not including CHD or ischaemic heart disease) account for ∼75% of all deaths in persons with Down syndrome.

Adults with Down syndrome experience “accelerated aging,” meaning they will age faster than the general population. It is expected that adults with Down syndrome will show physical, medical, and cognitive signs of aging much earlier than what is expected for their age.

Does Down syndrome get worse with age?

Adults with Down syndrome experience “accelerated aging,” meaning that in their 40s and 50s they experience certain conditions that are more commonly seen in elderly adults in the general population.

Research suggests that all children with Down syndrome experience impaired vision to varying degrees. Early detection, treatment and effective support are vital to minimize the impact of poor eyesight on development and learning.

Down syndrome is not new — in fact, the first evidence of its existence dates back 2,500 years. The facial features of DS are found in some ancient pottery and paintings. The syndrome is named after John Langdon Down, an English doctor who published a clinical description in 1866.

Many people with Down Syndrome lead independent lives, this includes being able to drive. If a person with Down syndrome can read and pass a driver's education class and pass a road test, then they can get a driver's license.

Down syndrome is the most common autosomal chromosome anomaly with several medical abnormalities and intellectual disability, occurring in about of 1:1,000 to 1:1,100 infants. Many pregnancies in women with Down syndrome produce children both with normal and with trisomy 21, whereas males are infertile.

Common conditions encountered in adults with DS include: AD, epilepsy, mood and behavioral disorders, visual and hearing impairment, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and autoimmune diseases, such as thyroiditis and celiac disease.

Postmortem studies in adults with DS have found several brain abnormalities, including reduced gross brain weight, a lower number and depth of cerebral sulci, enlarged ventricles and hypoplasia of several brain structures such as the brainstem, cerebellum, frontal and temporal lobes.

4,5 A Finnish study showed that, of a population of 129, only 9% had shown severe irritability, disturbing behaviour and physically attacked others, and 4% had been difficult to manage or even dangerous to others. 3 These aggressive behaviours were statisti- cally significant amongst male patients rather than females.

As adults with Down syndrome grow older, there is increased risk of experiencing certain common mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and behavioral disturbances. A sudden or abrupt change in mood or behavior patterns warrants further investigation.

There are three types of Down syndrome: trisomy 21 (nondisjunction), translocation and mosaicism. Trisomy 21 (nondisjunction) accounts for 95% of known cases of Down syndrome.

Why do all Down syndrome have the same look?

Why do people with Down syndrome look the same? They have similar features due to extra genetic material that affects growth of the maxilla (part of the skull) and the bone, cartilage, and connective tissue in the head, known as the cranial neural crest.

People with mosaic Down syndrome have a mixture of cells. Some have two copies of chromosome 21, and some have three. Mosaic Down syndrome occurs in about 2 percent of all Down syndrome cases. People with mosaic Down syndrome often, but not always, have fewer symptoms of Down syndrome because some cells are normal.

Most cases of Down syndrome are not inherited. When the condition is caused by trisomy 21, the chromosomal abnormality occurs as a random event during the formation of reproductive cells in a parent. The abnormality usually occurs in egg cells, but it occasionally occurs in sperm cells.

Those with Down syndrome nearly always have physical and intellectual disabilities. As adults, their mental abilities are typically similar to those of an 8- or 9-year-old. They also typically have poor immune function and generally reach developmental milestones at a later age.

People with Down syndrome can expect to live to 60

In the 1940s, a child with Down syndrome had a life expectancy of 12 years. These days, their life expectancy is 60 years and a baby born with Down syndrome could live into their 80s — in line with the general population.

Julia Kinder (JK): The biggest misconceptions are that people with Down syndrome cannot learn or understand, and that they have low intelligence. I.Q. scores for people with Down syndrome vary, with the average cognitive delays being mild to moderate, not severe. In fact, normal intelligence is possible.

People with Down syndrome usually have an IQ (a measure of intelligence) in the mildly-to-moderately low range and are slower to speak than other children. Some common physical features of Down syndrome include: A flattened face, especially the bridge of the nose.

The most common mental health concerns in individuals with Down syndrome include anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, oppositional behaviors, depression, and tic disorder.

What organ is most affected by Down syndrome?

Heart defects — Approximately half of all babies with Down syndrome are born with (often repairable) heart defects. Usually, these defects affect the walls separating the four chambers of the heart.

Speak with respect. Don't try to guess how much the person can or can't understand. Assume the person can understand and reply to you. Give people with Down syndrome the chance to show what they can do.

Results: The odds ratio and population attributable risk of Down syndrome due to maternal age of 35 years or older were highest for Mexican Americans, intermediate for African Americans, and lowest for non-Hispanic Whites.

Down Syndrome life expectancy was up to 28 years lower than the general population. Life expectancy increased at a faster rate over time in the Down Syndrome population, compared to the general population. Infant mortality was significantly higher in the Down Syndrome population.

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