PART 4: DOWN SYNDROME PART 4: DOWN SYNDROME

Running head: PART 4: DOWN SYNDROME
PART 4: DOWN SYNDROME
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1PART 4: DOWN’S SYNDROME
Executive Summary
Down Syndrome is a debilitating genetic disorder which not only brings forth a number of health
complications but also poses critical ethical questions. The following report aims to evaluate the
issues of ethics, genetic treatment and additional interventions for the management of Down
Syndrome. Genetic treatments and testing, despite being beneficial, continue to be treated with
controversial concerning the ethical conflicts surrounding them. Nutritional, occupational and
medicinal interventions may be considered as alternative approaches to combat the adverse
health outcomes and improve wellbeing in Down Syndrome patients. Likewise, health
professional must aim to educate parents and others, on the characteristic features and
specialized care options for such individuals.

2PART 4: DOWN’S SYNDROME
Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................3
Impact of Genetics on Care Improvement, Health Outcomes and Costs............................4
Changes in Care Approaches...............................................................................................6
Educational Plan..................................................................................................................7
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................7
References............................................................................................................................9
Appendices........................................................................................................................14
Appendix 1: Educational Plan (As designed by the Author).........................................14

3PART 4: DOWN’S SYNDROME
Introduction
Despite advancements in science and technology, as researched by Diamandopoulos and
Green (2018), ethical issues continue to plague parents of such children, coupled with societal
acceptance of such individuals. Healthcare professionals must enlighten themselves concerning
such ethical issues as well as the role of genetics during mitigation of such symptoms. After
extensive previous discussions on the chromosomal, policy and nutritional issues associated with
Down Syndrome, this assignment will focus on the following thesis statement:
Thesis Statement: To explore and evaluate various ethical issues, role of genetics, additional
approaches and educational strategies for the management of such genetic disorders such as
Down Syndrome.
Ethical Considerations
Children with this genetic disorder continue to face societal rejection, unacceptability and
prohibition in intimate familial relationships or social networks. Likewise, parents continue to
feel apprehensive about proceeding with the delivery of their baby upon obtaining screening
information on the presence of abnormalities. Rates of choosing to abort a baby detected to be in
possession of Down Syndrome, continue to emerge, and have been documented to range from
60% to 90% (Crombag et al., 2016). As researched by Gekas et al., (2016), further ethical issues
have emerged with the introduction of genetic advancements in healthcare and screening, such as
maternal prenatal screening or non-invasive prenatal testing for identification of fetuses with
Down Syndrome. According to De Jong Maya and Van Lith (2015), the assessment procedures
of non-invasive prenatal testing involves the screening of cell free maternal DNA in blood for