Mental Retardation

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Mental Retardation

Introduction

When most people hear the term `birth defect ' or `congenital anomaly what most often come to mind is a morphological defect such as a club foot or cleft palate . Many birth defects are part of a syndrome composed of several associated defects and /or deficits . One of the more common components of many congenital birth defect syndromes is mental retardation . Mental retardation represents a reduction in mental capacity that may be very minor and not affect an individual 's ability

to function in society , to much more severe cases where the individual may not be able to function independently . Three conditions that commonly include some level of mental retardation as part of the resulting manifestations are : Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome , fetal alcohol syndrome , and Fragile X syndrome . In this , a discussion of each syndrome and the circumstances under which the syndromes may occur will be discussed

Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome

Trisomy 21 , or more commonly known as Down syndrome , is a chromosomal anomaly that results when 47 chromosomes are present in each cell instead of the usual 46 (National Down Syndrome Society , 2007 . It has been determined that an extra partial or complete 21st chromosome usually results in the characteristics of Down syndrome (National Down Syndrome Society , 2007 . Down syndrome is the most frequently occurring chromosomal abnormality and occurs in one out of every733 births (National Down Syndrome Society , 2007 . Down syndrome delays physical and intellectual development and is most commonly diagnosed based on the following characteristics : low muscle tone , a single crease across the palm of the hand , and a slightly flattened facial pro and an upward slant of the eyes (National Association for Downs Syndrome , 2007 . Down syndrome is caused by an error in cell division at conception and is not related to anything the mother did during pregnancy . The incidence of Down syndrome tends to increase with advanced maternal age , yet 80 of all cases occur in mother 's younger than the age of 35 (National Association for Downs Syndrome , 2007 . The degree of mental retardation varies from mild to moderate . Most children with Down syndrome are able to attend school , learn , and go on to live independent lives with jobs and families as they grow into adulthood . Most children with Down syndrome tend to suffer from congenital heart defects , infections hearing , and vision problems (National Association for Downs Syndrome 2007 . With proper medical care , most of the conditions are well managed

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome , or FAS , is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation and birth defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 2007 . FAS occurs when the mother drinks too much alcohol during pregnancy and the baby is born with FAS . Characteristics of FAS are abnormal facial features , growth deficiencies , and central nervous system problems (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 2007 . FAS is a permanent condition that can lead to problems with learning memory , attention span , communication , vision , hearing , or a combination (Centers...