What kind of treatments are there for down syndrome

Parents and families of children with Down syndrome can connect with other families and people with Down syndrome from around the world to learn more and share information.

The following information may be helpful for those considering educational assistance programs for a child with Down syndrome: The child must have certain cognitive or learning deficits to be eligible for free special education programs.

Parents can contact a local school principal or special education coordinator to learn how to have a child examined to see if he or she qualifies for services under the IDEA. If a child qualifies for special services, a team of people will work together to design an Individualized Educational Plan IEP for the child.

The team may include parents or caregivers, teachers, a school psychologist, and other specialists in child development or education. The IEP includes specific learning goals for that child, based on his or her needs and capabilities. The team also decides how best to carry out the IEP. Children with Down syndrome may attend a school for children with special needs.

Parents may have a choice between a school where most of the children do not have disabilities and one for children with special needs. Educators and health care providers can help families with the decision about what environment is best.

Integration into a regular school has become much more common in recent decades, and IDEA requires that public schools work to maximize a child's access to typical learning experiences and interactions. Learning about Down syndrome. Early intervention approaches to enhance the peer-related social competence of young children with developmental delays: A historical perspective.

Infants and Young Children , 23, 73— Guralnick, M. Such delays include:. It results from an error that occurs following fertilization when cells begin to divide. The characteristics and features of Down syndrome are caused by the extra copy of chromosome 21 being in every cell in the body.

The probability of having a child with Down syndrome can often be predicted prior to giving birth, with a series of screenings and tests conducted by a medical professional. About 1 in every pregnancies results in a child with Down syndrome. While the actual cause of the creation of the extra chromosome is still unknown, research supports the fact that a mother has a higher chance of having a child with Down syndrome if the delivery occurs after the age of However, because younger women are more likely to have babies than older women, most babies with Down syndrome are born to women younger than There is no medical cure for Down syndrome, however, children with Down syndrome benefit from early access to medical care and developmental interventions beginning in infancy.

Beneficial therapies for Down syndrome include physical, occupational, behavioral, and speech therapy. Our Story Games Blog. Therapies for Down Syndrome Unsurprisingly, early intervention produces the best results.

Speech-language Therapy Speech-language therapy addresses communication and language skills by focusing on articulation, cognitive skills, and strengthening the oral muscles tongue, lips.

Physical Therapy Physical therapy focuses on improving how a person moves. Occupational Therapy Like the name suggests, occupational therapy is designed to improve the day-to-day skills necessary for living a healthy life and successfully navigating society. Assistive Technology Assistive technology is a term used to describe devices that help a person with a disability function better.

Otsimo Special Education Download for Free. Otsimo Speech Therapy Download for Free. These programs provide children with Down syndrome the various types of therapies they need and that have been proven beneficial — including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy.

The options that are available depend on the state you live in though, explains Dr. Some states put a limit on how many therapist visits are allowed before the person with Down syndrome will need to use private insurance for coverage, he says.

A developmental therapist will meet with the child two to four times per month to monitor motor skills and speech development, Vellody says. A physical therapist or an occupational therapist will likely get involved when the child is between 6 months and 1 year old.

Rather than one-on-one sessions, there might be 5 to 10 kids working with one therapist, he says. But legally, children with disabilities including Down syndrome are entitled to free educational services to help them learn through the end of high school or until they turn 21 whichever comes first. Though schools are legally required to provide educational services that meet the needs of children with disabilities, depending on what services are available where you live and the individual needs of the child with Down syndrome, more specialized therapies may not be available from the government.

In some cases these services may be covered by private insurance plans and in other cases the costs may fall to individuals and their families, Vellody notes.