https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s Down Syndrome Research en-us 2021-03-01 04:05:55 UTC 2021-03-06 20:41:39 UTC hello@padlet.com ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1251395624 In “Down’s Syndrome”, Nancy Roizen and David Patterson discuss how prenatal testing, a method of determining if a fetus has certain mutations that can lead to disabilities, has shaped the future of Down’s syndrome. Through conducting mice experiments, they give a summary of the origins of prenatal testing and a detailed explanation on how the method is used in society today, including how prenatal testing has reduced the number of babies being born with Down syndrome. The article also highlights how medical care has improved over the years, mentioning various medical and healthcare methods like group therapy and neurological treatment. It is interesting to see the various ethical debates that arise from progressive Down syndrome “care” and “treatments”; however, Roizen and Patterson address both terms with delicacy, supported by a great deal of research on how Down syndrome can be affected by other mental disorders. For instance the article mentions how other psychological disorders like autism and depression,have also been influenced by the medical practices that have changed the treatment and care of people with Down syndrome, and how severe diseases like Coeliac disease are linked to Down syndrome. In conclusion, Roizen and Patterson use research collected from many psychological institutes and use it to discuss the complications behind the care of Down syndrome. 

]]> 2021-03-01 04:09:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1251395624 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1251398183 “Managing the Care of Adults with Down’s Syndrome” is an informative article by Kristen M Jensen and Peter D Bulova that discusses the various factors that contribute to taking care of people with Down syndrome. From viewing Down syndrome in many psychological aspects like behavioral or neural health to discussing major questions like “can people with Down’s syndrome have children?”, Jensen and Bulova address topics that people are often curious or unsure about. Instead of focusing on the care of Down syndrome children, the authors paint a picture on the reality of living with Down syndrome at an old age, including experiencing different types of patient care, organizing community events, and building the future of Down syndrome adults. It’s interesting to see how their lives are not so different from everyone elses when they are given the right support and resources. The article not only informs us about the reality of living with Down syndrome, but also addresses Down syndrome with straightforwardness by writing about real issues surrounding it.

]]> 2021-03-01 04:10:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1251398183 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260394277 In Hole in the Heart: Bringing Up Beth, Henny Beaumont documents her story of raising a child with Down syndrome, from the very beginning, when she heard her daughter Beth was born with Down syndrome, to raising her in an environment where people looked at Beth differently. One of the stark details that Henny notes about the way people treated Beth, is the fact that people within the family itself saw her differently. Whether with pity, love, support, or even ignorance, Beth was not treated the same wherever she went. Henny discusses struggles in Beth’s life like making friends, going to public school, and joining activities for both disabled children like her and kids her age. Although Hole in the Heart is a personal anecdote of a mother having to make hard choices for her daughter who has Down syndrome, it also highlights the various societal influences that affect children with Down syndrome, including education, support systems, doctors, and societal norms. 

]]> 2021-03-02 19:40:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260394277 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260420130 The Superb comics are a series of superhero comics written by David Walker that tell the story of a teeneager with Down syndrome named Jonah, who gained supernatural abilities from an asteroid that hit Earth. Although Jonah uses his superpowers to help others, the government views teenagers with supernatural abilities as dangerous and isolates them from the outside world, while secretly training them to be soldiers. In trying to restore the reputation of superheroes by fighting crime, Jonah represents the struggles to fit in a society where his mental disability defines him. Walker uses the Superb comics and the character of Jonah to tackle the issue of how people view those with Down syndrome as inferior and disabled. Addressing many debates on the normalization of special needs, he uses Jonah’s representation as a superhero to encourage the audience to see Down syndrome in a new light, one where it doesn’t limit someone's abilities, but rather encourages them to be fearless and selfless.

]]> 2021-03-02 19:45:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260420130 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260510086 2021-03-02 20:03:19 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260510086 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260514420 2021-03-02 20:04:19 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260514420 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260516075 2021-03-02 20:04:38 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260516075 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260545393 Dagmar Tapon breaks down the differences in Down’s syndrome care between the United States and the United Kingdom in his journal “Prenatal Testing for Down Syndrome”. Not only does he compare various treatment methods, community support systems, and insurance care, but explores how different care has helped or harmed the Down’s syndrome community in both countries. Additionally, Tapon debates the ethics of prenatal testing in both countries, as one country might have a more open policy to abortions due to prenatal testing, while it might be viewed differently in another. While it is significant to know that health practices are different in different countries, the cause of the stark differences is what brings up ethical debates on the treatment of people with Down syndrome. Thus, this source segways into the larger discussion of the ethics behind prenatal testing and how treatments in both countries might shape the legality of it around the world.

]]> 2021-03-02 20:11:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260545393 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260548821 Addressing the larger topic of how Down syndrome is viewed differently in different countries, “Parenting Children with Down Syndrome: Societal Influences” by Lourdes Huiracocha suggests that society plays a large role in shaping the stigma of societal acceptance surrounding Down Syndrome. It’s particularly interesting how Huiracocha differentiates between Down syndrome care and awareness in third world countries to more developed ones, and even how parents view their child's disability differently in all parts of the world.  More importantly, the article addresses why different communities have these beliefs and ideas in the first place and how this might affect the likeliness for parents to get therapy and emotional treatment for their child. Specifically, Huiracocha discusses how the Ecuadorian culture and society has looked down upon Down syndrome, and that perhaps there are methods that can be implemented to counter that stigmatization of having a child with Down syndrome.]]> 2021-03-02 20:12:01 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260548821 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260592347 Margaret Farell and John Elkins’s excerpt “Literacy for All? THe Case of down Syndrome” in the Journal of Reading discusses the special needs education system in America, while debating whether people with Down syndrome should be going to public school or a special needs school. By researching the intellectual development of children with Down syndrome, the authors break down what literacy skills are affected by Down syndrome and what problems may arise from that when trying to shape the best education for children with Down syndrome. Specifically, the journal addresses how impairments in cognitive functions like reading and speaking may shape the learning environment for those students. This might suggest that teachers encourage their students by giving them special treatment in class; however, those actions also have effects that might make those students feel secluded from the rest of their peers. By breaking down what education practices are best for a Down syndrome student’s emotional, cognitive, and social health, Farell and Elkins dive deeper into what literacy for children with Down syndrome entails, and how the education system can accommodate for those differences.

]]> 2021-03-02 20:19:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260592347 ajvyas https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260677975 BACKGROUND SOURCES

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12699967/

https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/26517379?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=normalizing+down+syndrome&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dnormalizing%2Bdown%2Bsyndrome%26filter%3D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A9e30ff92e62d086d01bd844fc5d79331&seq=4#metadata_info_tab_contents

Argumentative Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19885721/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29110530/

https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/40016584?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=normalizing+down+syndrome&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dnormalizing%2Bdown%2Bsyndrome%26filter%3D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A0b338995fedf40da2696edc84cee3574&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Other Sources I Can Use:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/12/the-last-children-of-down-syndrome/616928/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8828339/]]> 2021-03-02 20:40:11 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1260677975 stebbins1 https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1277207868 This ABG not only fulfills all the basics of a good AB (concise, specific summaries, a coherent sense of project, reliable and useful sources), but it also is such an exciting project from the standpoint of Squier’s call to arms in “Beyond Nescience.”  By bringing in arguments about parenting, education, caregiving, managing care and treatment, and testing, you’re looking at the Downs experience broadly, in the sense of a community of care. One question I have for you is that I wondered if you were going for a conceptual or practical argument here—Both are possible: what kinds of thinking will lower and eliminate the barriers brought about by bias here—in other words, is the comic a corrective? And, what would you recommend we (readers) do next now that we have examined Downs through a broader lens with you—are you suggesting comics could be made for parenting, to help foster Downs literacy, etc.? I’d also really push you to consider if there are any negative effects to portraying Downs in the superhero genre... does that feed into other stereotypes or tropes around medicine (I am thinking of the criticisms of treating breast cancer as a battle or war that one has to triumph in, and that type of thing that we had talked about in class.) Your project is developing in exciting ways— I am eager to read more soon!]]> 2021-03-06 20:36:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ajvyas/dxlp79lfdywr788s/wish/1277207868