Since schools closed in March, Deborah Tomai has sat alongside her son, a 9-year-old with Down syndrome, as he made gains in class, developed as a reader, and grasped concepts, such as regrouping, in math class. But she struggles to keep him focused and motivated during his remote-learning sessions. One day, she left him unsupervised in front of his computer to take a phone call. When she came back minutes later, he was in their […]
Distance learning for children with autism and ADHD: challenges and optimism Patricia Schetter’s youngest son is a high school senior, attending classes online like so many students this year due to COVID-19. Distance learning is a challenge for some students with autism, but there’s optimism, too. “He’s like, ‘Mom, I just want to go back to school. I want to be on campus with my friends,’ ” said Schetter, the coordinator of autism education initiatives […]
While an estimated 1.8% of US adults have epilepsy, the prevalence is more than 22% among people with intellectual disabilities.1,2 Managing epilepsy in this patient population can be particularly challenging for a variety of reasons. “This group will have a higher likelihood of communication problems and other issues that make it more difficult to be treated than patients with a higher IQ, and they tend to have more behavioral issues,” Scott Hirsch, MD, a neuropsychiatrist […]
Approximately one in 700 babies is born with Down syndrome, making it the most common chromosomal condition in the United States. “People with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21,” says Amy Houtrow, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC’s Rehabilitation Institute and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Council on Children with Disabilities. This additional genetic material disrupts typical mental and physical development, and it may […]
You’ve most likely met people with Down syndrome, but you might not know much about the chromosomal condition that affects one in 700 individuals. In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, which takes place every October, we’ve rounded up some Down syndrome facts that every parent should know. Keep reading to learn more about the causes, risk factors, symptoms, treatment options, and more. Down syndrome is named after John Langdon Down. The British physician first […]
