Unit VII Body of Revison

Title: Negative effects of special Down syndrome centres

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Down syndrome care centres may negatively affect social development. The centres that are usually run in a way that ensures children with the syndrome do not necessarily interact with others who do not have the syndrome, particularly normal children. This is disadvantageous for their social development. According to research carried out by Bennett and Hay (2007), the relationship between parents and their children as well as with their peers is extremely important for their social skills development. This is especially so for children with Down Syndrome, who are naturally impaired form cultivating such skills. By placing them in places where they have access to the best facilities, highly trained personnel but minimal interaction with these groups of people, the centres inadvertently or otherwise retard their social skills development. It is therefore important that for these centres to quit being segregated, so that the children can have a better chance of holistic growth.

The presence of special centres for children with Down syndrome makes is prone to abuse by the population. This is because admission to these centres is not on the basis of how many the children are affected by the syndrome, but by the fact that they have the syndrome in the first place. According to Graaf (2002), this means that while a large number of patients are able to actually access the facilities they need, an even larger number are exposed to conditions they barely need In the first place. In the end, it also means that funds are unnecessarily spent on expenses that could have been spent on other ways of improving care. It is therefore necessary to ensure that while the centres do exist for extreme cases, they do not end up damaging the chances of others to lead full lives.

Segregated care centres for Down syndrome prevent the parents from accessing the care which they also need to cope with the special circumstances they need. Placing their children in the special centres, away form them for most of the day ensures that this does not happen. This in turn has a negative effect on the patients and their parents, and their chances of holistic growth. In a segregated centre, where the parents are not part of any plan for care is unlikely to ultimately achieve what it is meant to, which is a life as full as possible for the patients. A constituent part of this is the capacity of the parents to improve their perception of their children’s future prospects, especially in adulthood (Abbeduto et al, 2004).

Segregation does not properly prepare the society within which people with Down syndrome live in. Due to their life away from the society, their interaction with other members of the society is minimal. This situation is not good for either the children or for the society. In later years, the lack of experience with Down syndrome may lead to stigmatization. The children may also find it more difficult to integrate into society, especially when they become better, and are adjudged to be good enough to fit into society again. It is therefore necessary that children and the society to have sufficient time to learn about each other and integrate. With such segregation, this might not be possible (Bennett & Hay, 2007).

References

Bennett, K., Hay, D. (2007). The Role of Family in the Development of Social Skills in Children with Physical Disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 54(4), 381-397.

Abbeduto, L. et al. (2004). Psychological Well-Being and Coping in Mothers of Youths with Autism, Down Syndrome, or Fragile X Syndrome. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 109(3), 237-254.

de Graaf, G. (2002) Supporting the social inclusion of students with Down syndrome in mainstream education. Down syndrome News and Update, 2(2), 55-62.