Specific issues
Every person with Down syndrome is unique with their own individual characteristics.
However, people with Down syndrome do experience some medical and developmental
issues differently from everyone else.
Medical and healthcare issues
Down syndrome is associated with congenital heart defects, hearing and vision impairment,
thyroid disorders, sleep disturbance and early onset Alzheimer-type dementia.
Not all people with Down syndrome experience all of these conditions. With knowledgeable
health surveillance and medical care, most of these issues can be successfully treated
or managed.
Developmental and education issues
All people with Down syndrome experience some degree of learning difficulty. However,
they are not equally delayed in all areas, but have a specific pattern of cognitive
and learning difficulties. For example, many aspects of spoken language development
are difficult for people with Down syndrome, yet visual learning tasks (such as
reading) are often less difficult.
By accurately understanding the issues facing people with Down syndrome, we can work out how
to most effectively help them.
Healthcare recommendations and teaching methods can be designed to deliver improvements
in the lives of people living with Down syndrome today.