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?
There has to be a joke here about the True Retarded Scotsman here, but I don’t dare try it.
Robert, IDK what kind of limitations my acquaintance’s granddaughter has, but they are not as severe as those of most people with DS.
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.
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.
Here is a link with some information on the link between DS and Alzheimer’s.
Current research is exploring this link in the hope of finding treatment for both Alzheimer’s and DS.
Anti-abortion “don’t call it a disability!” glurge of the day:
Side rant: This stupid cow has named her three daughters Emersyn, Rhyan and Evynn
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