Persons with Down Syndrome have specific anatomical features:

 - Round head
- Flattened face
- Poorly developed nasal ridge
- Enlarged tongue
- Small, broad hands with short fingers
- Stunted growth

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

As a result of atypical chromosomal composition, the characteristics of individuals with Down syndrome present in many aspects of their development, both physical and cognitive. Individuals with Down syndrome are characterized by…
 - Physical characteristics of Down syndrome
 - Cognitive characteristics of Down syndrome
- Developmental characteristics of Down syndrome
- Comorbidities of Down syndrome


Characteristics of Down syndrome

Sontheimer, H. (2015). Diseases of the Nervous System. Academic Press. 

Diseases of the Nervous System 

“Down Syndrome: Medlineplus Genetics.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/down-syndrome/. 

Down syndrome: Description

Decreased mental capacity

- In addition to having a low to normal IQ, people with Down Syndrome have issues with hippocampal processes, such as explicit long-term and verbal short term memory. Implicit procedural long-term memory is unaffected in Down Syndrome persons.

Cognitive characteristics of Down syndrome

Physical characteristics of Down syndrome

Developmental delays

- Individuals with Down syndrome typically learn to walk around 3-4 years of age 
- Around 90% of kids with Down syndrome talk by age 5

Developmental characteristics of Down syndrome

Among individuals with Down syndrome...
- Around 30% have congenital heart defects, the most common being an incomplete separation of the heart chambers (known as atrioventricular septal defect)
- About 5-10% have seizures
- Gastrointestinal defects
- Compromised immune systems
- Obesity
- Lowered average life expectancy - death, on average, occurs by age 50
- Most get Alzheimer’s Disease by around age 35-40

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