Most Prevalent Disabilities
Although there is a wide range of disabilities under the intellectual disability, and developmental cognitive disability categories, and characteristics present in children show an even wider ranger, the most common disabilities are: Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
1) Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder in which abnormal cell division makes extra genetic material from chromosome 21 which results in three copies of the chromosome. This syndrome is lifelong, but varies greatly in intensity from mild to severe, and causes both intellectual and physical delays, and can cause health problems in special cases such as heart conditions. Each case of Down Syndrome is different, with each person having different needs and abilities. The most common features of a person with Down Syndrome are the flattened face, small head, short neck, upward slanting eyes, and short stature. For children with Down Syndrome, developmental benchmarks occur about twice as slow the rate of a normally developing child.
(Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014).
2) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders encompasses a wide range of conditions that result from a mother consuming alcohol while pregnant including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. These effects include, but are not limited to: physical, mental, behavioral, brain damage, growth problems, and/or learning disabilities that are life long. Impairment of physical abilities, facial features, the heart and organs, the nervous system, and bones may occur.
(Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014).
3) Fragile X Syndrome
Fragile X Syndrome is a genetic defect that causes a wide range of developmental problems such as developmental delays, learning disabilities, and social and behavioral problems. Males with FXS usually have mild to severe intellectual impairments while females can have normal intelligence, or some degree of an intellectual impairment. As a whole, females generally experience less severe impairments than males. Fragile X Syndrome occurs with a genetic defect or mutation of the Fragile Mental Retardation 1 gene which produces proteins needed for proper brain development.
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
1) Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder in which abnormal cell division makes extra genetic material from chromosome 21 which results in three copies of the chromosome. This syndrome is lifelong, but varies greatly in intensity from mild to severe, and causes both intellectual and physical delays, and can cause health problems in special cases such as heart conditions. Each case of Down Syndrome is different, with each person having different needs and abilities. The most common features of a person with Down Syndrome are the flattened face, small head, short neck, upward slanting eyes, and short stature. For children with Down Syndrome, developmental benchmarks occur about twice as slow the rate of a normally developing child.
(Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014).
2) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders encompasses a wide range of conditions that result from a mother consuming alcohol while pregnant including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. These effects include, but are not limited to: physical, mental, behavioral, brain damage, growth problems, and/or learning disabilities that are life long. Impairment of physical abilities, facial features, the heart and organs, the nervous system, and bones may occur.
(Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014).
3) Fragile X Syndrome
Fragile X Syndrome is a genetic defect that causes a wide range of developmental problems such as developmental delays, learning disabilities, and social and behavioral problems. Males with FXS usually have mild to severe intellectual impairments while females can have normal intelligence, or some degree of an intellectual impairment. As a whole, females generally experience less severe impairments than males. Fragile X Syndrome occurs with a genetic defect or mutation of the Fragile Mental Retardation 1 gene which produces proteins needed for proper brain development.
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).