Communicating with Children Having Down Syndrome

This assignment discusses the behavior of children with Down syndrome, including genetic factors, environmental influences, and the importance of parental involvement. It explores the challenges faced by these children, the impact of genetics and environment on their behavior, and the role of parents in supporting their development. The assignment also highlights the importance of encouraging children with Down syndrome to engage in activities of their interest and provides insights into the relationship between genetics, environment, and parental initiatives.

Running head: COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Discussion........................................................................................................................................2
Children with Down syndrome....................................................................................................2
Children’s behavior and genetic factors......................................................................................3
Children’s behavior and the environment....................................................................................4
Encouragement to children in selecting activities of their interest..............................................6
Relationship between genetics, environment and parental initiatives.........................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References:....................................................................................................................................10

2
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
Introduction
The aim of the assignment is to discuss the behavior of the children with Down syndrome
focusing on various factors. These include the genetic factors, the environment; the support
showed my parents in choosing the activities based on the children’s interest. A genetic disorder,
Down syndrome is caused owing to the irregular division of cell that results in the partial of extra
full copy of chromosome 21. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that
around 1 in every 700 children in the United States has Down syndrome from birth (Cdc.gov,
2019). The age of the mother is one of the foremost factors, which is linked to the risk of
acquiring Down syndrome. With age, the risk increases particularly after the age of 35 years.
Children with this disease demonstrate behavior that does not align with the accepted norms of
the society. In trying to assessing the behavior of a child with Down syndrome, it is important to
determine whether there are any chronic or acute medical issues associated with the identified
behavior. Although there are several books and studies on the general behavior of a child, little
has been written about the ways to support behavior of children with Down syndrome. Many
reasons have been found to influence the behavior of children with Down syndrome.
Discussion
Children with Down syndrome
Down syndrome children could most commonly do things that any other child could do
(Murphy et al., 2014). They could talk, walk, dress up, be trained in toilet and so on. However,
the difference is that they do these things at a much older age than other children do. The precise
ages of the developmental milestones varies with each child (Murphy et al., 2014).. With Down
syndrome, the child has the ability to go to school although she or he needs special program at

3
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
the beginning of the preschool years that could help her or him to cope with the disease. Down
syndrome children face the increased risk of involving in challenging behavior, which creates a
problem within the community as well (Murphy et al., 2014). Some of the primary factors
responsible for such challenging behavior include the features related to Down syndrome such as
the behavioral phenotype, sleep disorders and illness (Grieco et al., 2015). The behavior also is
influenced by the way the children engage with their environment. Such behavior, as Grieco et
al. (2015) define causes injury of others as well as self-injury along with interfering in the
children acquiring new skills and isolating them socially.
Children’s behavior and genetic factors
Genetic factors cause Down syndrome in children. It also causes challenging behavior in
them. Due to the presence of an extra genetic material from the disease, children with Down
syndrome have a delayed development (Wiseman et al., 2015). Further, it affects their speech
and language development as well. Owing to these issues in development, the children tend to
behave differently. The children affected with Down syndrome are late in developing the basic
things than other children and this creates problems in their behavior (Wiseman et al., 2015).
Behavioral problems include a range of issues such as attention problems, stubbornness,
obsessive compulsive disorder, tantrums and so on. A few children diagnosed with Down
syndrome often become prone to autism spectrum disorder that affects their social interaction
and communication as well (Richards et al., 2015). Down syndrome also results in children
experiencing a gradual decline in their ability to think especially as they grow old. Children with
Down syndrome are also at the risk of developing the Alzheimer’s disease at a later age. Experts
have found that challenging behavior especially the avoidance behaviors in children with Down
syndrome begins to show from infancy itself. Richman et al. (2009) however have found that

4
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
Down syndrome and the behavior associated with it are not always inherited. According to the
author, “the chromosomal abnormality happens as an accidental event in the development of
reproductive cells in a parent” (Richman et al., 2009). The abnormality takes place mostly in the
egg cells although it is sometimes found in the sperm cells as well. “Children with translocation
Down syndrome could be affected by genetic factors even if they inherit the disease from
unaffected parent” (Richman et al., 2009). Due to such genetic factors, some changes in the
behavior of the children are visible. Physical behavioral changes like those of sleep disorders and
increased incidences of illness could be most visible. Avoidance behavior is largely seen in
young infants having Down syndrome (Wilkinson & Light, 2014). It has been found that when
the infants having Down syndrome are confronted with a slightly difficult task to perform, they
tend to opt out of the opportunities of learning. This avoidance behavior occurs due to the extra
chromosome that is present in the children causing Down syndrome and contributing to
challenging behavior from infancy. Such behaviors could drastically affect the life of the
children overall. These interfere in their learning not just at the foundational but also across their
lifespan.
Children’s behavior and the environment
Children’s behavior also has an influence of the environmental factors. The behavior of
children with Down syndrome is influenced by the way the children interact with their
environment. Environmental factors are crucial in understanding the behavior of the children
with Down syndrome. Al Otaiba et al. (2009) revealed in their study that the literacy
environment of children with Down syndrome determines the literacy ability of these children.
Their findings suggested that the parents of the children with Down syndrome found their
children to reach many literary milestones at an early age owing to the literacy environment they

5
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
encouraged. Ekstein et al. (2011) on the other hand revealed, “Children with Down syndrome
displayed highly disruptive behavior and the attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) was
significantly higher in them”. The behavior of children with Down syndrome changes owing to
the environmental stressor such as loss of someone important, separation from loved ones and so
on. Down syndrome also leads to the occurrence of anxiety, OCD and depression. Generalized
anxiety occurs when the children have to make transitions from a familiar place to a novel one
facing unfamiliar situations and expectations. Such environmental triggers make them anxious,
as they are unable to cope with the environmental stressors. In these circumstances, it becomes
crucial to assess the antecedents, behaviors and consequences (ABCs) and churn out a
management plan for behavioral modification (Ekstein et al., 2011). Down syndrome in both
children and adults is associated with the environmental toxic triggers. These could include death
of someone close, medical illness that has been left unrecognized for years, older sibling leaving
for college and so on. These are all ordinary events but come as extraordinary events for the
children or adults with Down syndrome. To put it simply, children or adults with Down
syndrome tend to remain delicately susceptible to alterations in their environment that they often
recognize adversely.
As stated above, children are very sensitive to environmental stressors, which involve
loss of close ones, separation, and illness and so on. Such incidences perpetually leads to
complex reactions of grief during which, the children with Down syndrome might experience
regressive alteration in their ability to reason, remember, or process any information. The
environmental triggers further cause anxiety and depression along with difficulties in sleep.
Apart from that, the children might face weight loss, inability to be inspired, poor care for self.
With the lack of proper psychosocial intervention, treatment and counseling, the mental state of

6
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
the Down syndrome affected children might persist and could be related to long-term decline in
cognitive functioning. In a study by Brotherson et al. (2008), it was found that children with
Down syndrome having severe ADHD behaviors reveal that there are deficits within the home
and other environments. The authors also found that the ADHD behavior is highly prominent in
children with Down syndrome. It has been found that more than 30% of children with Down
syndrome have behavior issues (Brotherson et al., 2008). The environment plays a vital role in
influencing the behavior of such children. It depends largely on the kind of environment the
children are exposed to that shapes their behavior. Children with Down syndrome face several
impairments especially in the neuro-psychomotor development. The neuro-psychomotor
development includes development related to postural control, muscle tone and balance. Zampini
and D'Odorico (2009) conducted a study to assess the affect of home environment on the
development of psychomotor development in infants with Down syndrome. The study found that
home environment plays a crucial role in the development of children of ages 12 and 18 months
in terms of motor development. The reason for this is that home environment presents
opportunities for experimenting and experiencing. Environments that are suited better for
children with Down syndrome provide them better opportunities to develop their motor skills
(Zampini and D'Odorico, 2009).
Encouragement to children in selecting activities of their interest
In order to make sure that children with Down syndrome remain physically active and
their motor development is not hampered, it is important for the parents to select activities that
are of interest to the children. However, some activities have been suggested by experts. They
suggest that toddlers between the age of 1 and 5 years must engage in physical activities for at
least three hours (Daunhauer et al., 2014). The activities include Children aged between 5 and 18

7
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
years should be active physically for at least sixty minutes in a day. In addition to that, the
experts suggest that the children should engage in additional physical activities (Daunhauer et
al., 2014). Barr and Shields (2011) however have found that there are several barriers to the
physical activities that children with Dow syndrome should participate in everyday. These
barriers range from social, family, personal to environmental. Many parents do not let their
children having Down syndrome to engage in any sort of activities due to the fear that they might
have injuries (Srinivasan, Pescatello & Bhat, 2014). Along with this, the children also face the
barrier of physical disability. In a study by Mahy et al. (2010), they found four most common
obstacles to physical activities for children with DS. These include, lower muscle strength and
lower cardiovascular fitness associated with the disease, concern of the parents about their
safety, low behavioral and physical skills and an absence of programs that are accessible.
Amongst these four barriers, the concern of parents regarding the safety of their children is the
most important. It is important for the parents to encourage their children with Down syndrome
to engage in activities that demand physical involvement. In the same study, the authors asked
the parents about the things that majorly encouraged their children to do physical activities
(Mahy et al., 2010). It was revealed, “family’s positive influence and role, social interaction
opportunity with peers, programs that were adapted to Down syndrome children and the
determination of the children to succeed were the prime facilitators” (Mahy et al., 2010). Advice
that could be given to parents to help children with Down syndrome include choosing active toys
and activities in place of sedentary choices, supporting traditional games that involved enhanced
physical activity and most importantly choosing an option of physical activity that the children
enjoy (Kellogg et al., 2014). Among those with Down syndrome, singing and dancing are the
most popular activities. Along with this, jumping and trampolining are also preferred by children

8
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
with Down syndrome. With parents encouraging the children with Down syndrome to engage in
activities of their interest, it becomes easier for the children to behave normally and socialize
with others. Physical activity gives them the mindset and the opportunity to engage with others
and avoid challenging behavior.
Relationship between genetics, environment and parental initiatives
In the above discussion, it could be seen that genetic factors, environmental factors and
the contribution of parents influence the behavior of children with Down syndrome largely. All
these three factors are interrelated in terms of influencing the behavior of the Down syndrome
children. The genetic factors come from the parents during the birth of the child due to the
presence of an extra chromosome known as chromosome 21(Castro-Piñero et al., 2014).
Children with this syndrome tend to behave differently from others since their overall
development is delayed. Along with the genetic factors, parents have direct influence on their
children. It is up to the parents to ensure that they create an environment at home that encourages
their children to openly engage in activities of their interest (Mazurek & Wyka, 2015). The
development of a child’s behavior especially with Down syndrome depends largely on the way
the child is treated at home. Along with the genetic predispositions of the children, the
childrearing regimes of their parents also determine the development of their behavior. Some
experts however argue that parenting does not majorly influence the behavior of the children
(Huth-Bocks & Hughes, 2008). According to them, although parenting is partially responsible
for the behavior of the children, it is not the only influence. Parenting has a relationship with the
environment as well. The parents are the ones who ensure a better environment for their children
at home. They prepare their children at home to deal with the stress they might face outside
especially because of their disability.

9
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
Conclusion
It could thus be concluded that the children’s behavior with Down syndrome is affected
by the genetic factors, parental involvement and the environment as well. A genetic disorder,
Down syndrome is caused owing to the irregular division of cell that results in the partial of extra
full copy of chromosome 21. Children suffering from the Down syndrome have challenging
behavior. The reason is due to the delayed development of their cognition and physical both. The
essay found that in trying to assessing the behavior of a child with Down syndrome, it is
important to determine whether there are any chronic or acute medical issues associated with the
identified behavior. Furthermore, the essay discussed the the behavior of children along with the
genetic factors, the environment and the encouragement of parents in allowing the children to
choose activities that interest them. Apart from that, the essay also discussed the effect of the
relation between the genetic factors, the environment and parent initiatives in developing the
children’s behavior with Down syndrome. All these three factors are interrelated in terms of
influencing the behavior of the Down syndrome children. In addition to that, it has been found
that the age of the mother is one of the foremost factors, which is linked to the risk of acquiring
Down syndrome. The essay has attempted to discuss encouragement of the parents in allowing
the children with Down syndrome to connect in activities of their own choice. The essay found
that certain barriers are there in allowing the children to engage in physical activities and one of
those is the concern of the parents about the children’s safety.

10
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
References:
Al Otaiba, S., Lewis, S., Whalon, K., Dyrlund, A., & McKenzie, A. R. (2009). Home literacy
environments of young children with Down syndrome: Findings from a web-based
survey. Remedial and Special Education, 30(2), 96-107.
Barr, M., & Shields, N. (2011). Identifying the barriers and facilitators to participation in
physical activity for children with Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability
Research, 55(11), 1020-1033.
Brotherson, M. J., Cook, C. C., Erwin, E. J., & Weigel, C. J. (2008). Understanding self-
determination and families of young children with disabilities in home
environments. Journal of Early Intervention, 31(1), 22-43.
Castro-Piñero, J., Carbonell-Baeza, A., Martinez-Gomez, D., Gómez-Martínez, S., Cabanas-
Sánchez, V., Santiago, C., ... & Veiga, O. L. (2014). Follow-up in healthy schoolchildren
and in adolescents with Down syndrome: psycho-environmental and genetic determinants
of physical activity and its impact on fitness, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory
biomarkers and mental health; the UP&DOWN study. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 400.
Cdc.gov. (2019). Data and Statistics on Down Syndrome | CDC. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/downsyndrome/data.html
Daunhauer, L. A., Fidler, D. J., Hahn, L., Will, E., Lee, N. R., & Hepburn, S. (2014). Profiles of
everyday executive functioning in young children with Down syndrome. American
journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 119(4), 303-318.

11
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
Ekstein, S., Glick, B., Weill, M., Kay, B., & Berger, I. (2011). Down syndrome and attention-
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of child neurology, 26(10), 1290-1295.
Grieco, J., Pulsifer, M., Seligsohn, K., Skotko, B., & Schwartz, A. (2015, June). Down
syndrome: Cognitive and behavioral functioning across the lifespan. In American Journal
of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics (Vol. 169, No. 2, pp. 135-
149).
Huth-Bocks, A. C., & Hughes, H. M. (2008). Parenting stress, parenting behavior, and children’s
adjustment in families experiencing intimate partner violence. Journal of family
violence, 23(4), 243-251.
Kellogg, G., Slattery, L., Hudgins, L., & Ormond, K. (2014). Attitudes of mothers of children
with down syndrome towards noninvasive prenatal testing. Journal of genetic
counseling, 23(5), 805-813.
Mahy, J., Shields, N., Taylor, N. F., & Dodd, K. J. (2010). Identifying facilitators and barriers to
physical activity for adults with Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability
Research, 54(9), 795-805.
Mazurek, D., & Wyka, J. (2015). Down syndrome-genetic and nutritional aspects of
accompanying disorders. Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny, 66(3).
Murphy, N., Epstein, A., Leonard, H., Davis, E., Reddihough, D., Whitehouse, A., ... & Downs,
J. (2017). Qualitative analysis of parental observations on quality of life in Australian
children with Down syndrome. Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics:
JDBP, 38(2), 161.

12
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN HAVING DOWN SYNDROME
Richards, C., Jones, C., Groves, L., Moss, J., & Oliver, C. (2015). Prevalence of autism spectrum
disorder phenomenology in genetic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The
Lancet Psychiatry, 2(10), 909-916.
Richman, D. M., Belmont, J. M., Kim, M., Slavin, C. B., & Hayner, A. K. (2009). Parenting
stress in families of children with Cornelia de Lange syndrome and Down
syndrome. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 21(6), 537.
Srinivasan, S. M., Pescatello, L. S., & Bhat, A. N. (2014). Current perspectives on physical
activity and exercise recommendations for children and adolescents with autism spectrum
disorders. Physical therapy, 94(6), 875-889.
Wilkinson, K. M., & Light, J. (2014). Preliminary study of gaze toward humans in photographs
by individuals with autism, Down syndrome, or other intellectual disabilities:
Implications for design of visual scene displays. Augmentative and Alternative
Communication, 30(2), 130-146.
Wiseman, F. K., Al-Janabi, T., Hardy, J., Karmiloff-Smith, A., Nizetic, D., Tybulewicz, V. L., ...
& Strydom, A. (2015). A genetic cause of Alzheimer disease: mechanistic insights from
Down syndrome. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(9), 564.
Zampini, L., & D'Odorico, L. (2009). Communicative gestures and vocabulary development in
36‐month‐old children with Down's syndrome. International Journal of Language &
Communication Disorders, 44(6), 1063-1073.