Children with Down syndrome Down syndrome affects many people around the world. Not only does this affect the person diagnosed with Down syndrome, but it also affects their family and everyone around them. Certain physical characteristics help you identify someone with Downs. There are also some health issues that you need to worry about. In this essay, I will give you a clearer understanding of what Down syndrome is and what it means to have Down syndrome. Down syndrome can be caused for three different reasons. The most common cause is called Down syndrome. This means that instead of having 46 chromosomes, you have 47. This is the cause of approximately ninety-five percent of people affected by Down syndrome. . The extra chromosome is usually found on the twenty-first pair. The following cause only affects 1 per cent of the Downs population. This is called mosaicism. This is due to an error during cell division just after conception. It has been found that with mosaicism, some cells have 47 chromosomes while other cells only have 46. The last reason goes back to the parents. This is called translocation. The twenty-first chromosome is transferred to another chromosome. The parents could be carriers of the chromosome that carries out the translocation. This form of Down syndrome only affects 3 to 4% of people living with Down syndrome. There are certain health issues that you should also be aware of when dealing with someone with Down syndrome. It has been found that between sixty and eighty percent of people with Down syndrome suffer from hearing loss. If you are dealing with a young child with Down syndrome, it would be a good idea to have their hearing checked. It is also common to have congenital heart disease...... middle of paper ......ge role in a child's development and these meetings show parents how they can become more involved and help in child's learning. This will continue throughout their lives. When they become adults, they will have what is called an Individual Services Plan (ISP). This happens once a month. The adult with Down syndrome sets their own goals, sees what goals they have achieved, and decides where they want to go from there. As you can see, a person with Down syndrome may require more time and energy, but from my experiences, I have found it to be worth the effort and effort. They are very loving people who deserve a chance in life, like everyone else. Remember, they have to work twice as hard as you to get this far in life. So maybe there is something we can learn from them, like how to appreciate the little things, while still doing our best in life..