Down’s syndrome

Down’s syndrome refers to people who are born with an extra chromosome, and thus have a difference in their genes. People with Down’s syndrome have a third copy of the chromosome 21 (a chromosome is a part of a cell), whereas most people only have two. This difference causes children to have a wide face, small elongated eyes, thin hair and a small skull. They also have a harder time learning, so they learn differently or more slowly. For this reason, some may go to the same school as everyone else, while others may go to special schools where teachers know how to teach them according to their learning abilities.

Down’s syndrome is not a disease.

The name Down’s syndrome comes from a British scientist, called John Langdon Down, who named it in 1899.