# Where did the myth that "People with Down's Syndrome are always happy!" come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323 "2016-06-02T16:29:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323/41 "2016-06-04T00:49:45Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > …I had never heard of this until an acquaintance’s granddaughter was born with 25% mosaicism; she has the typical Down’s facies and some developmental delay but no other issues. Last I heard, she’s in school in a special ed program… What exactly does “developmental delay” mean here? Does it mean that the granddaughter can accomplish everything a normal person can do except that she needs more time (e.g. needing two extra years to learn to read, needs 7 years to complete a bachelor’s degree, etc.), or are there certain things where the delay is essentially infinite or lifelong? > [@chizzuk](#): > > … > There’s a well-known quote that “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” I would say it’s the same with Down syndrome. It’s a spectrum of skills, abilities, and behaviors. There has to be a joke here about the True Retarded Scotsman here, but I don’t dare try it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323/42 "2016-06-04T03:43:11Z")
Robert, IDK what kind of limitations my acquaintance’s granddaughter has, but they are not as severe as those of most people with DS. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323/43 "2016-06-04T06:12:58Z")
The few people I have met with Down’s Syndrome, most notably a coworker, do tend to be much more likely to smile and hug people than the average person. Now I do realize that if these people weren’t well adjusted, that I would never see them in the first place. And also I realize that I don’t have conversations with them that are argumentative or downbeat, the way an average coworker would be. But for the average person, the people they know with Down’s Syndrome are legitimately (or at least appear to be so) happy. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323/44 "2016-06-04T07:03:06Z")
I don’t know what the implications of it are for personality, but DS is a growth disorder. DS people have short stature, stubby fingers, small palms, small midfaces, small mouths, and sometimes have to have teeth pulled because they have small jaws. Sometimes they need leg braces because their leg bones are short and thin. Their heart valves are too small and don’t close completely, causing the characteristic heart problem (now correctable by surgery), and sometimes the esophagus is not long enough to reach the stomach. As it turns out, the chromosome, 21, is the one that has the information for cessation of growth. If you have a problem with you 21st chromosome, like a transposition on just one of the two otherwise normal ones you have, you may grow to be extremely tall. Research on what enzymes are actually coded for on this chromosome are looking promising for cancer research. Manipulating them might allow doctors to “turn off” the growth of tumors. Anyway, some parts of the brain might be to small, or be missing connections. Depending of what abilities happen where, it may be that certain brain structures are less affected by this overabundance of “small” signals than others, and it happens that some that are less affected are ones that allow for the reading of facial expressions and body language, or appreciating humor, or enjoying physical sensations, from hugs to the taste of chocolate. None of that precludes the very highly affected DS person who is just so low functioning that his mood isn’t even apparent to others, or the person with a comorbidity, like OCD, which causes the person a lot of anxiety and distress. No one knows what causes the various manifestations of autism, albeit, probably more than one thing, but it’s generally agreed that the prefrontal cortex is highly affected: this is where social skills are processed. I don’t know why this would tend to be a relatively normal structure in a DS brain, but it’s possible that it is. Or it’s possible that they secrete normal amounts of seratonin, but have smaller brains, so they get essentially, seratonin “floods” a lot from things that would give a normal person a mere small burst. That’s all pure WAG. The only facts I’m prepared to defend are that 1) DS is a growth disorder; and 2) the chromosome involved in DS codes for growth cessation in humans. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323/45 "2016-06-04T18:48:06Z")
[Here](http://www.alz.org/dementia/down-syndrome-alzheimers-symptoms.asp) is a link with some information on the link between DS and Alzheimer’s. > [@](#): > > Scientists think that the increased risk of dementia — like other health issues associated with Down syndrome — results from the extra genes present. One of the chromosome 21 genes of greatest interest in the Down syndrome-Alzheimer’s connection codes amyloid precursor protein (APP). Current research is exploring this link in the hope of finding treatment for both Alzheimer’s and DS. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323/46 "2016-06-09T23:13:44Z")
Anti-abortion “don’t call it a disability!” glurge of the day: > [@](#): > > Baker goes on to tell the doctor that she’s not angry or bitter, only “sad that the tiny beating hearts you see every day don’t fill you with a perpetual awe.” > > “So my prayer is that no other mommy will ever have to go through what I did,” the mother of three writes. “And my prayer is when you see that next baby with Down syndrome lovingly tucked in her mother’s womb, you will look at that mommy and see me, then tell her the truth … ‘Your child is absolutely perfect Side rant: This stupid cow has named her three daughters Emersyn, Rhyan and Evynn ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323/47 "2016-06-10T03:22:20Z")
The few people I’ve met with Downs syndrome were always smiling and up beat. I always looked forward to seeing my friend’s son because he was so positive and easy to talk too. Being around Jack made my day. Granted I’ve only met a few people. But I always make a point to say hi if I see someone at the stores with Downs [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-myth-that-people-with-downs-syndrome-are-always-happy-come-from/756323.md?page=2)