World Down Syndrome Day, 21st March, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. The date is the 21st day of the 3rd month to signify the uniqueness of the triplication of the 21st chromosome which causes Down Syndrome
What is Down Syndrome?
Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, being present across racial, gender or socioeconomic lines. Down syndrome is present in approximately 1 in 800 live births. Down syndrome usually causes varying degrees of intellectual and physical disability and associated medical issues.
FAQs
- Down’s syndrome is the most common single cause of learning disability.
- Most children who have Down’s syndrome now attend a mainstream primary school.
- Increasingly, children included at primary school will remain with their classmates and move on to a mainstream secondary school.
Did you know… In the UK, around 1 in every 1,000 babies is born with Down syndrome. That means there are approximately 40,000 people with Down’s syndrome living in the UK right now. Do you recognise any of these celebrities with Down Syndrome?
The best people to answer questions about Down syndrome are people with Down syndrome. Here you can watch people living with Down Syndrome answering Google’s most-asked questions about Down Syndrome: https://cdss.ca/awareness/down-syndrome-answers/
Donate to the Down’s Syndrome Association: https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/get-involved/donate/
