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1515
The Depiction of Down Syndrome in Art
"The Adoration of the Christ Child" is cited by some as the first depiction of Down syndrome in Western art. The angel to the left of Mary has some characteristics that are often associated with Down syndrome. Those that argue that the angel has Down syndrome believe that this painting counters the "modern theory", which argues that Down syndrome has not been around for a long time. Leach, Mark. (2013). Down syndrome diagnosis at the adoration of the Christ Child. -
Period: 1515 to
The History of Down Syndrome
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John Down's Paper
In 1866, Down wrote a paper called "Observations on an Ethnic Classification of Idiots". In this paper, he called a population of people with distinguishable physical characteristics that also had an intellectual disability as "mongoloids". This term is no longer in use. Down, J. (1866). Observations on an ethnic classification of idiots. Journal of Mental Science, 13(61), 121-123. -
Galton & Eugenics
In 1883 Galton coined the term eugenics in his book, Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development. As the years progressed, Galton wrote more and more about eugenics. In the twentieth century, the majority of states would adopt laws that would force sterilization on many who had disabilities such as those with Down Syndrome*. These laws would also force them to be institutionalized. Staff, History.com. (2017). Eugenics. https://www.history.com/topics/germany/eugenics -
Beattie v. Board of Education 1919
This ruling upheld that a school can exclude someone based on a disability. The court believed a student took up too much time and was a detriment to the learning environment. For many decades, those with Down syndrome did not get an adequate education. Yell, M., Rogers, D., & Rogers, E. (1998). The legal history of special education: what a long, strange trip it's been! Remedial and Special Education,19(4), 219-228. -
Lejeune's & Gautier's Discovery
In 1958, Jerome Lejeune and Marthe Gautier discovered that an extra chromosome causes Down Syndrome*. This abnormality occurred in chromosome 21. Some would begin to change their terminology from mongoloid to Trisome 21. Hickey, F., Hickey, E., & Summar, K. (2012). Medical update for
children with down syndrome for the pediatrician and family
practitioner. Advances in Pediatrics, 59(1), 137-157. https://www.advancesinpediatrics.com/article/S0065-3101(12)00007-2/fulltext -
Down Syndrome Becomes the Accepted Term
After the 1958 discovery, more and more scientists began to believe that using the term mongoloid was misleading. In 1965, the World Health Organization would drop the term mongoloid. This term was used by some until the 1980s. Now it is considered offensive. The term was replaced with Down syndrome, but sometimes trisomy 21 is used. Howard-Jones, N. (1979) On the diagnostic term "Down's
Disease". Medical History, 23(1), 102-104. -
Screening for Down Syndrome
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises their members that women over the age of 35 should be offered screening for Down Syndrome and other disabilities. Research that was conducted shows that there is a higher prevalence of mothers carrying a child with Down syndrome if they are 35 or older. CDC. (1994). Down syndrome prevalence at birth -- United
States,1983-1990. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
43(33), 617-622. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00032401.htm -
Healthcare Management of Adults with Down Syndrome Created
The American Academy of Family Physicians creates guidelines to help physicians provide Adults with Down syndrome proper healthcare. They suggest that doctors should screen these patients for sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, spinal cord compression, and dementia. The average life expectancy of those with Down syndrome improves. It was updated in 2001. Smith, D. (2001). Healthcare management of adults with Down
syndrome. Am Fam Physician, 64(6), 1031-1039. -
First Academic Home for those with Down Syndrome Established
The Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome is the first academic home for Down syndrome research in the United States. The institute is named after a professor that dedicated her life to helping those with Down syndrome. The Institute researches diseases that those with Down syndrome are more likely to have. They also work towards ending discriminatory practices in the medical community. Global Down Syndrome Foundation. (2008). About the Linda Crnic institute for Down syndrome. -
NIH Down Syndrome Consortium Created
The goal of this Consortium is to help facilitate the exchange of information on biomedical research that has been conducted. The National Down Syndrome Society is represented on this consortium. National Down Syndrome Society. (2018) Our history. https://www.ndss.org/our-story/ndss-history/
