Growth and development

At what age can you stop worrying about your child having Down Syndrome?  Is this noticeable at birth?  My wife had her 1st ultrasound and the technician noticed an echogenic foci in the left ventricle.  No other markers were found.  A second ultrasound revealed no other markers.  My son just turned 7 months and he has been developing great so far.  Should I still worry if he has Down Syndrome?  Should our pediatrician have noticed anything?

[SimplyStar]

I have a 37 year old son with Downs, we could tell at birth.  There are many tell tale signs that are visable to the doctors , so if at 7 months no pediatrician has said anything,  I would doubt very much that your son has Downs.  My son developed very slowly, it was past two years before he walked. He is now a great guy, lives with me, works every day at a local facility for people with disabilities, very independent.  If your son is crawling now, pulling himself up, this is normal growth. Good luck with your son. I would just like to thank MedHelp for adding this forum, I asked for it and here it is. I will be glad to post and answer any questions I can about Downs.  I am a retired RN with a second degree in Developmental disorders.  I spent 20 years working with this population and enjoyed every minute of it.

[nan1202]

i have a boy with downs he is a twin but he dose not want to listen to me how was your son grown up

[dad777]

Thank you for those comments.  At 7 months, he is not crawling yet but looks ready to anytime.  Additionally, he has been able to sit up by himself with no support since 5 months.  He is able to stand holding onto a chair by himself as well.  You mentioned you could tell at birth, what signs did you notice?  Were they mainly physical characteristics?  Were there medical conditions?  Thank you and god bless you and your family.

[dad777]

To answer your question, my son is 7 months so at this time he does not have the listening skills required to understand anything.

Sorry!

[SimplyStar]

nan   you don't say how old your son with Downs is, but if he is showing independence, don't hamper that.  My son started school when he was 2, was not even walking then, he went till he graduated from high school at age 21.  Getting your son to listen to you might be a good thing to work on, by making him have eye contact with you. don't try to give him too much information at a time, keep your instructions to 1 at first and then add  others as he grows and can comprehend what you are asking him to do. He should be able to be around his twin, watching another child progress helps a Downs to learn.

dad   A Downs baby will have certain distinguishing signs, the simian lines across the palms, eyes have the slanted look, flabby muscles,  usually a low birth weight.  Chris had a heart murmer, which was heard at birth, I was able to exercize his arms and legs and pump the blood better, within several months the murmer had all but disappeared. There is also sometimes a bowel ring called Hirshpurns  {sp?} that will cause large stools and constipation .  Development is slow, but with time most Downs people will function quite well. Your son sounds like he is very normal to me.  Good Luck to both of you.  

[JoeSixPack]

dad...  I have a 3 year old son with Downs who is progressing nicely.  If your pediatrician was not worried at the birth examination, I don't know why you are.  If you just want to be for sure, get a kerotype done on your son.  This will look at the actual chromosome pairs and will tell without a doubt his genetic condition.  With that being said, if you are at all worried about his development, do not hesitate to contact your local Health and Human resources department to get an evaluation completed to determine his developmental status.  These services are free and are great programs.  Good luck!  

PSB

[debby123]

I have a Sister that turned 50 this year . She is the best thing that ever happened to our family. the thing i cant stress enough is have plenty of Patience be strong and don't cave in because of there handicap. I started all over with my sister 3 yrs ago due to a stroke . she is back to 95 percent of her normal now. I would not let her get away with quiting . she tried to use her left side when she is right handed. anyway the point is to raise your child like you would with there brother or sister. And if you need help there are lots of programs to help you. just ask. thanks for hearing my view. debby123

[SimplyStar]

God Bless you Debbie  A loving family is the best thing that can happen to a person with Downs .  My son has made my other four children much better people. Patience is indeed the key word.  I hated to retire from my position as supervisor/job coach in our 450 capacity facility. We placed so many out in the community to work alongside  others,  the acceptance of my son has been fantastic, he is a member of the community now, not hiden away as it was just a short time ago.  I am very proud to be from Iowa where Senator Tom Harkin got the ADA passed and it has opened the doors to all. I worked with returning stroke people and by returning your sister to 95% you did a very remarkable thing.

[clasc]

[clasc]

DOWNS SYNDROME HAPPENS AT THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION.  IT IS A GENETIC DISORDER AND DOES HAPPEN AT A "LATER" STAGE.  IF YOUR CHILD HAS DS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NOTICED UPON BIRTH.

[clasc]

CORRECTION...............DOES NOT HAPPEN AT A LATER "STAGE"

[she1162]

I can't tell by reading all of these if your original question was answered or not. When my 16 year old was born, they ( the doctor's) came to us within hours to let us know of their suspision of him having D.S. Their eyes are almond shaped, they have a flat neck, their ears are small and lower on the face, there's a line in the palm of their hand that is normally straight instead of curved. There are a lot of other traits the doctors look for before anouncing to the parents that a child could be different than what they had expected. Perhaps you could contact your local school district and tell them of your suspicions, if he doesn't have d.s. there are a lot of other things they test. I pray your child is "normal" for you. We consider our son normal for who God intended him to be.

[cartkai]

i am studying child development from the age of 4 years and comparing a 4 year old without down syndrome to a 4 year old with down syndrome do you have any information. many thanks. cartkai

[SimplyStar]

there is a sliding scale for development , I would say that with my son he was usually about 2 to 3 years behind,

[cheesebabe]

DS is not something that people just somehow "get". It is not a disease or a curse. I have a 13 year old girl with Down Syndrome that is the most amazing angel that God could have shared with me! I have been reading so much lately about parents that abort unborn babies because they have Down Syndrome, to those people..you are passing on the most precious gift from God. I, like most women had an aminio when I was pregnant and that is when I discovered my baby had DS. So, to answer the question, if your doctor didn't tell you when your child was born, then he doesn't have Down Syndrome. It is not going to just someday happen. Take care and may God bless you and your family.

[dad777]

Thank you for your reply.  My wife did not have an amnio done because we were afraid she could lose the baby.  Our doctor knew how frightened we were in the ultrasound to find a echogenic foci in our son's left ventricle.  No other markers were noticeable.  We scheduled a 2nd ultrasound and no additional markers had shown up other than the echogenic foci.  At birth, none of the nurses or doctors said anything to us.  My son is now 12 months and recently had his 1 year appointment. The doctor seemed pleased by his progress: although I think he should be walking now.  He took his first steps last week.  Based on your reply, you think we should have heard something by now suggestion whether or not our son has down syndrome.  Please reply.

[SimplyStar]

My son did not walk until he was a little over 2 years. Why are you dwelling on this?  By 1 year you would absolutly know if your son was downs.

[cartkai]

at what age did your son start to walk and talk, how would you say his development was at four years old

[cartkai]

is it poss for a run down on your knowledge of downs from 4 years old pleases.

[SimplyStar]

My son is now 37, started to school at  age 2, began walking shortly after that,  we used adaptive sign language to bring on speech, as long as he could communicate his needs,  this worked fine. His total speech developed  through out his school years and  with extra speech therapy, since  most all development has to be learned by observation,  it just takes patience and time.  There is no way to compare progress between one child and another. Never compare  your child's progress  to that of a "normal" child. They develope their own speed of learning. I went back to college to find the best means of helping my son and ended up working in the field with adults with disablities.  In the 20+ years I spent working with them,  there were never 2 alike,  the progress depends on many factors, what is offered to them in the way of challenges at home, school and community life.  My son has developed into an independent person, able to communicate well and  live as normal a life as possible with his limitations.  He is still learning as we all do.  I believe the best formative years for a child with Downs is somewhere between 8 and 18,  The foundations laid down there promote a sense of an inquisitive  nature. My son began to "catch up" faster after he turned 8, left the childishness behind and began to grow into what he could understand and become.  He was not treated as "special", he was taught to follow the rules just like our other children.  I learned to give help, where help was needed, to get him to foster his solutions himself and to redirect always towards learning. I used all the resources offered in our community,  Special Olympics, summer camp, swimming and all sports, interaction with all children as much as possible, church activities, travel around the country, always offering new vistas for learning.  We offered him the opportunity to ask if he was in question,  but more important to him now is , his own space.  We let him be as free as possible because at 37  he needs to be treated like a man, not a boy.  That takes time to build,  to allow the age oppropriate growth to happen.  I tell the parents that I speak to , to prepare their child for a future of independance as an adult.  Never to teach or allow, anything that would not be accepted as an adult.  I feel quite priviliged to have been given my son,  we have both learned so much.

[cheesebabe]

I have my daughter that has DS, but I also have my son and I am a full time mom to my 3 step sons. Let me tell you, they were all different. They all walked and talked when they were ready. Just because your son isn't doing the things that you think he should be doing does not mean that there is something "wrong" with him. He will do everything in time. Don't rush it. It goes by so fast!! For one of my kids, we bought him a push along walker thing from Lil Tykes, it got him walking right away!! He pushed that thing everywhere, till one day he just let go and took off! Read to your child everyday...they absorb so much more than you know. Good luck and as I said before God bless your family.

[vanessa64]

i have a baby girl who the doctors are saying she is down syndrome and she is saying dada is that possible

[4myfamily2011]

Having a child with Down Syndrome can be frustrating when you do not have the right information and guidance. All children with Down Syndrome are different. The  only thing that they have in common is DS. All of them develop differently and at different stages. I am a mother of an almost year old Down Syndrome child. He was born with Tetralogy of Fallot. A congenital heart disease. Even that in patients can be different. He had a big hole between the two chambers of the heart and his pulmonary valve was constricted on the top. So needless to say he was born months early and at months went through open heart surgery.

His feeds himself with a sippy cup and holds a spoon and tries to feed himself. He has problems with aspiration. I have to thicken thin liquids like water. I have to make pasty foods because he chews with his tongue. That way there is no chance of little pieces of food go back and het stuck in his throat. He does not walk yet. He stands and pull up. He just sarted to crawl no to long ago. He does not speak but about 2 words. So you see every child with DS is different.

There are many resources out there, you just have to step it up and ask. Even "traditional" children may face stages of development slower than others. That is why early intervention is crucial. It helps children to develop and get to their full potential.  

[4myfamily2011]

My son is almost 4 years old.

[4myfamily2011]

Apparently my number keypad was not working. My son was born at 7 months and at 4 months old he had his heart surgery.

[deenie1831]

noticing this forum...wow do i need some advice....my son is 21 and pretty well adapted,,,great sense of humor,loves us loves music...his last year at school which he loves...my issue is his blind rage which turns aggressive and violent,,,,he cann ot be reached thro words at this point...he will go after anyone in his reach...i dontneed to tell u how this scares and worries us...anyother time i can talk calmly and give him coping skills...i dont know that i can afford a med eval....tests and such, however i am having his thyroid done again....there has been huge changes in our household and i am sure this has affected his behavior...the last time he did this was over a year ago when his aide left school...this also was at home ,just a few meltdowns at school...its very painful for us to see this...its like he is a different person...and im afraid one of us could get hurt badly..any advice u can give me will b appreciated..

[Mglos]

There was a child in my ds group she had no signs of ds and was on track with everything but speech and she was downsyndrome. There is mosaic downs which can only affect a little or a lot of the chromosome. The only way to know is a blood test.

[Mglos]

Stay away from him till he calms down.....then try to help him. My son just turned 15and has made the same changes hitting me when he's angry. I find it best to back off until he's calm .and I tell him under no cercumstances is hitting allowed that its bad and I don't like it. Find away for him to communicate what made him mad and give him the tools to use at that time. Like say alone if he wants to be alone. Or angry if he's made or bored if he's bored. Don't try to figure it out in the heat. He prob needs some privacy and is getting older and doesn't want to be babied. Ask him...