GRAND Magazine - May/June 2017 Subscribe Today! - 15

Lifespan has increased significantly for persons with Down
syndrome - from 9-11 years in 1900 to 25 years in the early
1980s to an average of 60 years today.
Certain physical challenges can accompany Down syndrome, such as congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, childhood leukemia and thyroid conditions. But
many of these conditions are now treatable, so it's possible to
be a healthy person with Down syndrome.
Now, so much is known about the syndrome and there is a
strong support network. Educational specialists have studied
how best to teach children with Down syndrome. Most children
with Down syndrome participate in regular classes as more
schools have become "inclusive" of children with disabilities. An

Autism

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MAY JUNE 2017

increasing number of people with Down syndrome graduate
from high school and go on to participate in postsecondary
programs.
In all likelihood, the future for people with Down syndrome
will become even brighter. Research is taking place, including
clinical trials with drugs designed to improve memory and
learning.
It would be unrealistic to expect yourself not to be concerned
about how this grandbaby will navigate through life and what
impact that will have on this child's parents. But as the National
Down Syndrome Society suggests, Children and adults with
Down syndrome have many strengths that can be encouraged,
and they can live rich, meaningful lives.

To help people better understand autism, the television show
Sesame Street is introducing a
new character named Julia who
has autism. Sesame Street also
has introduced a campaign
called See Amazing in All Children, to give children with autism
someone to identify with and to
help others be more accepting.
The term "autism" was virtually
unknown to most people 20
or 30 years ago, but now it's a
common concern. In 2016, the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) said autism
cases in the U.S. had risen from 1 in
166 children in 2004 to 1 in 68 children in 2016. For boys, the occurrence is 1 in 54.

Autism affects a person's ability to process stimuli, communicate, and interact with
others. Most signs of autism don't appear in
very young babies, but when a child nears
the first birthday, you might have cause for
concern if a child cannot or does not:
* Make eye contact
* Smile when smiled at
* Follow objects visually
* Do "back-and-forth" gestures such
as pointing, showing, reaching or waving
"bye-bye"
* Initiate or respond to cuddling
* Follow the gesture when you point
something out
* Have warm smiles or big playful
expressions
Find other milestones of development for
ages 2 months through 5 years,
click here for the CDC website.
A word about autism and immunizations

There was some debate about whether there might be a connection between autism and immunizations. In 2015, Autism Speaks,
the U.S.'s largest autism advocacy group, issued a statement,
"Vaccines do not cause autism. We urge that all children be fully
vaccinated."
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https://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine/ https://twitter.com/grandMmagazine https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-crosby-052a1337/ https://www.pinterest.com/GRANDmagazine2/ http://www.ndss.org/ http://www.ndss.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKCdV20zLMs http://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/our-initiatives/autism/ http://www.sesameworkshop.org/what-we-do/our-initiatives/autism/ https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html

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