As parents or caregivers of children with Down syndrome or autism, we must confess that it is not the easiest thing in the world to do and can be an emotional rollercoaster. Many times, caregivers to people on the spectrum or people with Down syndrome break down and require care themselves. It is not helpful that these conditions are life-long ailments. However, it’s important to know that even the hardest tasks get easier with the right tools. And in this case, knowledge of what to expect from a child with autism or Down syndrome is the best tool. Here, we have provided you with information on all you need to know about autism and down syndrome and even about those with dual diagnoses of the two conditions.
What Is Down Syndrome?
Down syndrome or trisomy-21 is a genetic disorder that is caused by an additional 21st chromosome in the human body. This genetic defect causes delayed growth, facial hairs, speech disability, and facial distinction. Down syndrome or trisomy-21 accounts for 95% of these genetic defects. Two other rare cases of Down syndrome account for the other 5%. These two cases are also referred to as the types of Down syndrome.
There is the belief that parents’ age strongly affects the result of down syndrome in children. Mothers above 35 years of age and fathers above 40 years of age have more likelihood of parenting a child with down syndrome as opposed to younger parents. Equally, Down syndrome is more prone in a family where there is a history of the condition.
Remember, none of these factors gives a certainty of having a child with down syndrome. It only increases the chances.
Types of Down Syndrome
- Mosaicism down syndrome
- Robertsonian translocation
Mosaicism Down Syndrome
Mosaic down syndrome is a special case of genetic defect that affects only a few per cent of people, just about 1%. People with mosaic Down syndrome have a higher intellectual capability than those with Down syndrome.
Robertsonian Translocation
This case accounts for the remaining 4% of people with Down syndrome. In this type of Down syndrome, a part of the 21st chromosome breaks off and attaches itself to another chromosome. Therefore, the number of chromosomes remains 46 instead of 47 as in trisomy 21, however, the attached chromosome produces some characteristics of down syndrome.
Children With Down Syndrome-The Takeaway
Down syndrome occurs following a rare genetic composition where there are 47 chromosomes instead of 46. Children who have this condition will have abnormal physical features and may have mild to moderate intellectual delay. However, kids with Down syndrome are more like other children than they are different. These kids oftentimes have abilities and talents that if nurtured and encouraged will be developed.
What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Unlike Down syndrome, the autism spectrum disorder which affects about 1 in every 59 children born in the United States, has no clear cause or diagnosis. It is a medical condition that causes people to have repetitive behaviours and patterns, speech and communication issues, difficulty in social communication, and restrictive interests among other things. At about ages 2 to 3, Autism spectrum disorder becomes noticeable in a person. The earlier the diagnosis, the better chances at management. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder often happens almost after the cognitive development of a child.
The symptoms of autism spectrum disorder vary from person to person and may range from slight to severe. This means that while autism has specific tellers and symptoms, such as retarded intellectual abilities, there are people in which the symptoms manifest more severely. For example, while some autistic patients may have high sensory cues, others may not.
Some of the Early Signs of Autism Include
- Inability to hold eye contact
- Content playing alone
- Difficulty in gaining their attention
- Repetitive or routinized behaviours
- Intense interest in specific things such as watching the fan or keen interest in an object that’s not passing for the first time
- Pronounced sensation
- Difficulty with communication
Categorically, these symptoms of autism fit into two broad types namely; socio-communicative deficits and behavioural alterations
In the first category, the symptoms entail intellectual, communicative and social deficiencies in autistic patients. It includes symptoms such as
- Difficulty in non-verbal communicative behaviours.
- The inability or difficulty in having social relationships
- Deficits in socio-emotional reciprocity
- Slow or retarded development/learning
In the second category, behavioural alterations, we address symptoms that affect behavioural patterns. Such symptoms include:
- Lack of flexibility in behavioural patterns; that is, people with autism tend to have routinized behaviours which they might follow religiously regardless of the situation
- Aggressive behaviours or behaviours that might result to harm of themselves or other people
- Stereotyped gestures such as clapping
Types of Autism Spectrum Disorder
There are three known types of autism spectrum disorder. They are
- Autistic disorder or classic autism
- Asperger syndrome
- Atypical autism or pervasive development disorder.
Classic Autism
When people hear the word ‘autism’, this is the type that comes to mind. We can say it is the ‘basic’ form of autism spectrum disorder. Socio-communicative problems, difficulty in interpersonal relationships, and intellectual and cognitive impairment are features of classic autism.
Asperger Syndrome
This is another level of autism spectrum disorder with milder symptoms. People with Asperger syndrome exhibit the symptoms of classic autism. Albeit, they generally do not have intellectual disabilities and difficulty with speaking. People with Asperger syndrome can lead independent lives with support and encouragement unlike those with classic autism
Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Atypical Autism
This form of ASD is even milder than Asperger syndrome. People in this spectrum only suffer from socio-communicative symptoms of ASD.
Down Syndrome and Autism; What Are the Differences?
As already established, Down syndrome and autism are two distinct medical and mental health conditions that share some similarities. They can occur differently and sometimes simultaneously in a person. What are the differences between Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder?
While down syndrome or trisomy 21 is a genetic disorder that occurs as a result of an extra 21st chromosome in the gene, autism is a neurological disorder. Down syndrome occurs perfectly by chance and most times can be detected while a child is still in the womb. Autism, however, is not noticed during the gestation period. Oftentimes, early detection of autism is during infancy. Late detection, on the other hand, is till about 3-4years of a person’s life
Also, autism has more severe effects than Down syndrome. Autistic patients suffer from impaired communication, difficulty with social interaction, eating and sleeping disorders, and occasional seizures. Down syndrome on the other hand comes with mostly physical defects such as bulging tongues, slant eyes, short necks, flaccid muscles and thick soles and palms. They equally suffer from obesity, eating disorders and sometimes, vision defects.
Down Syndrome Versus Autism, Which Is More Severe?
From the above information, it suffices to note that autistic people suffer from more severe neurological disabilities than people with Down syndrome.
Down syndrome poses a problem to the physical features of a person than to the mental state. autism greatly impairs Communication, social interaction, and learning. People who have autism may find it very difficult to understand social cues as opposed to individuals with down syndrome.
People with down syndrome most often can lead very normal lives. Though they have delayed growth and low IQ. Conversely, people with autism spectrum disorder suffer more severe neurological conditions. It’s more difficult for autistic patients to lead normal lives. Their daily lives are hinged by impaired social interaction, lack of verbal and non-verbal communication, speech impairment, and problems in motor skills.
Down Syndrome and Autism Life Expectancy
How long can a person with either autism or Down syndrome live? Down syndrome and autism are both lifelong conditions that pose great health issues and challenges to the sufferers. People with either or both of these conditions may face a lot of challenges in their day-to-day activities because of the health issues that accompany the conditions and this often has a great deal of influence on their lifespan.
So for How Long Can People With Down Syndrome and Autism Be Expected to Live?
Recent research shows that on average, people with Down syndrome can live for 60 years. In the past, this was not obtainable and there was an early mortality rate of people with this condition. Then, averagely speaking, Down syndrome patients had a life expectancy of just about 25 years.
Funnily enough, the increase in the years of life expectancy is not due to better medical care but to the reduction in the stigma of people with Down syndrome. In the past years, people with Down syndrome were heavily stigmatized, sometimes ostracized and not given opportunities to live their lives. With sensitization and education, however, things have changed and people understand that people with Down syndrome can lead perfectly normal lives
The life expectancy for ASD is unfortunately significantly shorter than for those who have Down syndrome.
Autism ranges from mild to very severe and therefore the life expectancy equally varies ranging from 39 years to 58 years.
The lower life expectancy in autistic patients is a result of the medical, mental and genetic disorders that manifest as a result of autism. Many individuals with ASD conditions suffer from a genetic disorder such as Down syndrome, mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, and neurological disorders such as sleep disorders and epilepsy.
These factors, put together can drastically shorten the lifespan of an individual.
Similarities Between Down Syndrome and Autism.
Two major things autistic patients and down syndrome patients have in common is that both conditions are lifelong conditions characterised by intellectual disabilities. Both autism and down syndrome delay the development of a person. It is important to equally note that both conditions can occur simultaneously. But while down syndrome poses a threat to the physical features of its patients, autism attacks more on the emotional, mental and cognitive levels.
Dual Diagnosis: Autism and Down Syndrome.
Autism and Down syndrome can coexist. That is, a person who has been diagnosed with down syndrome could be diagnosed with autism too.
This can be a very daunting situation for parents and caregivers. Children with either of the condition require utmost attention and care and ones with a dual diagnosis can even be more tasking. In the past, people believed, a person either had autism or down syndrome. This is because, with an already diagnosis of down syndrome in a child, manifestations of autism may just be attributed to the already diagnosed condition of down syndrome. It doesn’t help that autism exists on a spectrum and is, therefore, not easily diagnosed.
Recently, however, there have been more dual diagnoses of DS-ASD. Research shows that about 2%-10% of people with down syndrome equally have autism.
The question is how do we know if our child has DS_ASD?
People with the dual condition of both down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder tend to show symptoms similar to both conditions. In other words, such people will have physical impairments related to down syndrome such as a short neck, thick skin in the palm and soles of the feet, slanted eyes, irregularly shaped heads etc. they will equally have social, communicative and emotional impairments that are peculiar to autism. Such children may be found gazing into the space repetitively, playing alone, rejecting food that may not be familiar in texture, unable to quickly recognise their names etc.
Important to note is that not every child who exhibits these symptoms have DS-ASD. Sometimes, down syndrome or autism spectrum disorder co-occurs with other medical conditions such as Attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
On the other hand, people with DS-ASD will equally suffer from medical ailments that are not peculiar to any other the conditions such as respiratory problems, neurological problems(e.g. seizures), heart issues etc., dysfunctional swallowing and extreme delay in motor skills, sleep disorder etc.
It is advised that you seek out professionals if you have the course to believe that your child has a dual case of Down syndrome and an autism spectrum disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions on Autism and Down syndrome
What medical conditions are commonly linked to down syndrome?
The common medical conditions associated with Down syndrome or a dual diagnosis of DS-ASD include:
Having trouble seeing
Issues with hearing
Thyroid dysfunction
Other sleep issues, such as obstructive sleep apnea
Crohn’s disease Epilepsy disorders
birth defect of the heart
GI tract abnormalities of anatomical nature
Having a hard time eating or swallowing
Hypotonia, is a state of very low muscular tone
very sluggish motor skills
breathing disorders or diseases (i.e., pneumonia)
What should I do if I think my loved one has DS-ASD?
If you suspect a loved one has DS-ASD, the first thing to do is to consult a professional caregiver in this case, a psychiatrist, neurologist, or developmental psychologist. Only a licensed caregiver on autism evaluation can make a formal diagnosis. Remember, the earlier the diagnosis, the better chances at early management.
What behavioural challenges should I expect as a caregiver to a DS-ASD patient?
DS-ASD comes with a lot of behavioural challenges for the sufferers. This is usually no fault of theirs. As a caregiver, you should be aware of such behaviours which include but are not limited to; frequent tantrums and ‘melt-downs’, aggressive or harmful behaviours often geared towards self-harm, extreme difficulty with changes in routines, occasional (or regular) disappearance, etc.
Do autistic person have emotions?
Yes, they do! As a matter of fact, autistic persons may have more intense emotions and feelings than the average human. The myth that autistic persons have fewer or no emotions at all stems from the fact that they do not express their emotions the way we do or simply because they are less likely to express them in our presence since they are usually alone. This however does not deny the fact that autistic persons feel every emotion ranging from sadness to happiness, to anger to irritation etc.
