1. Down syndrome Myth busters
FACT

2. Down syndrome is not a disease, nor is it contagious.
It cannot be cured by medicine or surgery.
It is a chromosomal condition.
People are born with Down syndrome, no one can “catch it” later in life.
Down syndrome is contagious

3. Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition.
One in every 800 babies in India is born with Down syndrome.
Down syndrome is a rare genetic
disorder

4. Down syndrome is caused due to nutritional deficiencies
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder.
The chromosomal anomaly that leads to this condition occurs during conception, so there is little the parents could have done to know or avoid the chances.
Consumption of very little nutrients will not cause the disorder, nor will consumption of too much cure it.
Children with Down syndrome do have a weaker immune system making them more prone to infections. Consumption of certain nutrients have been shown to improve their immunity. However, vitamin deficiency and severity of the child’s health cannot correlated as the cause of the condition.
Down syndrome is caused due to nutritional deficiencies

5. Down syndrome is caused due to high stress levels in the family
While reducing stress during a woman’s pregnancy is always recommended, there is no direct relationship between stress and Down syndrome.
There is nothing you did that has resulted in your child being born with Down syndrome. The chromosomal anomaly that leads to this condition occurs during conception, so there is little the parents could have done to know or avoid the chances.
Down syndrome is caused
due to high stress levels in the family

6. Children with DS are born to mothers above 35 years of age
85% of children born with Down syndrome are to mothers under the age of 35 years of age.
The reason the greater risk over age of 35 is because the statistics are higher in that age group because there are not as many women having babies over the age of 35 years of age.
Although the risk of Down syndrome increases with age, a child with Down syndrome can be born to a mother at any age.
Although only 5-8% of pregnancies occur in women over the age of 35, they account for 20% of Down syndrome births.
Children with DS are born to mothers above 35 years of age

7. People with Down syndrome have a wide range of feelings just like everyone else. They respond to positive expressions of friendship, and they are hurt and upset by inconsiderate behavior.
People with Down syndrome are always happy

8. People with Down syndrome are perfectly capable of forming all types of relationships with people they encounter in their lives, be it friendship, love or a dislike of someone. 
People with Down syndrome cannot form relationships.

9. Women with Down syndrome can and have had children
Women with Down syndrome can and have had children. It has been recorded that two men with Down syndrome have been fathers. The information about fertility in people with Down syndrome is very outdated and based on research in institutions where men and women with learning disabilities were kept apart.
Men and women with Down syndrome can have children.

10. Although many people with Down syndrome do develop dementia in their later years, this is by no means inevitable. Research indicates that the incidence of dementia in people with Down syndrome is similar to that of the general population only that it occurs years earlier.
All people with Down syndrome will eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease (dementia)

11. Most people with Down syndrome have cognitive delays that are mild to moderate. Children with Down syndrome fully participate in public and private educational programs. Educators and researchers are still discovering the full educational potential of people with Down syndrome.
People with Down syndrome have severe cognitive delays.

12. There are support groups in the country.
The Down Syndrome Federation of India (DSFI) –
Find more support from organizations all over the country, listed out in Page 30 of the parent handbook compiled and created by DSFI. [
Nayi Disha Resource Center –
Send us an at to join the Down syndrome parent community on Whatsapp.
Parents will not find community support in bringing up their child with Down syndrome.

13. Children with Down syndrome have been included in regular academic classrooms and integrated into specific courses in schools across the country.
The current trend in education is for full inclusion in the social and educational life of the community.
Increasingly, individuals with Down syndrome graduate from high school with regular diplomas, participate in post-secondary academic and college experiences and, in some cases, receive college degrees.
Children with Down syndrome must be placed in segregated special education programs

14. Businesses are seeking adults with Down syndrome for a variety of positions.
They are being employed in small and medium-sized offices: by banks, corporations, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants.
They work in the music and entertainment industry, in clerical positions, childcare, the sports field and in the computer industry to name a few.
Adults with Down syndrome are unemployable

15. Today people with Down syndrome live at home with their families and are active participants in the educational, vocational, social, and recreational activities of the community.
They are integrated into the regular education system and take part in sports, camping, music, art programs and all the other activities of their communities.
People with Down syndrome are valued members of their families and their communities, contributing to society in a variety of ways.
Most people with Down syndrome are institutionalized.

16. Empower yourself with the facts about
Down syndrome
Understand the medical problems that children with Down syndrome commonly have, and undergo routine
evaluations.
Children with Down syndrome have delayed development in certain areas. Seek early intervention services to help the child cope and meet their needs.
Earlier the intervention, the more effective it’s output
in improving the life of the child.
LET US STEP UP FOR DOWN SYNDROME!

17. DSFI, is a parent support group started by Dr
DSFI, is a parent support group started by Dr. Surekha Ramachandran in order to help persons with Down syndrome and their families to come to terms with Down syndrome.
Nayi Disha Resource Centre is an online information resource platform that supports families of persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). 
Note : The information in this content has been developed by the Down syndrome federation of India (DSFI), Chennai, and compiled into this presentation by Nayi Disha Resource Centre.