Trisomy 21

Characteristics of Down's syndrome

Each personwith Down's syndromeis affecteddifferently, but most share a number of physical characteristics and developmental problems.

Physical appearance

People with Down's syndrome often have certain physical characteristics. Not everyone will have all of them, but they may include:

reduced muscle tone thatresults in floppiness (hypotonia)
a small nose and flat nasal bridge
a small mouth with a protruding tongue
eyes that slant upwards and outwards
a flat back of the head
a big space between the first and second toe (sandal gap)
broad hands with short fingers
their palm may have only one crease across it (single transverse palmar crease)
below-average weight and length at birth

However, it is important to note that people with Down's syndrome do not all look the same.

They will alsoshare physical features with their parents and family.

Delayed development

All children with Down's syndrome have some degree of learning disability and delayed development, but this varies widely between individual children.

Children with the condition may be slower to learn skills such as:

reaching
sitting
standing
walking
talking

Achild with Down's syndromewillgain these skills eventually it simply takes more time.

Around1 in every 10children also experienceadditional difficulties such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) .

Because ofthese problems, children with Down's syndrome often require extra support as they grow up andadditional help at school.

Health problems

While many children and adults withDown's syndrome have few other health problems, there are a number of conditions that occur more frequently in people with Down's syndrome.

These include problems with the heart and bowel, difficulties with hearing and vision, and an increased risk of infections.