About Down syndrome

The Up for Reading campaign aims to encourage children to read and also to help their peers with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is a common condition that leads to certain health concerns and varying degrees of learning difficulty.

Down syndrome is common

About 1 in every 1,000 babies born in the UK have Down syndrome. There are just over 30,000 individuals with Down syndrome in the UK and more than 2 million worldwide.

Down syndrome is a genetic condition

Down syndrome is what is known as a 'genetic' condition.

Our bodies are made of cells, and each cell in our body has a nucleus. Inside each nucleus 'genes' which contain all of the instructions the cell needs to work.

Genes are made up of chromosomes and there are usually 23 pairs of chromosomes in each cell - making 46 chromosomes in total.

However, individuals with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes in all, or some, of the cells in their body as there is an extra copy of material from the 21st chromosome.

Noone knows exactly why this happens.

Did you know? World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated on 21st March each year (the 21st day of the 3rd month) - reflecting the 3 copies of chromosome 21.

Every person with Down syndrome is different

Each person with Down syndrome is unique - with their own likes and dislikes, their own strengths and weaknesses, and their own interests and achievements. They are each as individual as you or me.

People do not 'suffer' from Down syndrome

Please do not describe anyone as "suffering" from Down syndrome. Having Down syndrome may affect what they can and cannot do, but most people with Down syndrome do not think they 'suffer' - they just get on with their lives, just like everyone else.

Down syndrome affects learning

Down syndrome is one of the most common causes of what people call 'learning disability'.

A 'learning disability' affects someone's ability to learn compared with other people without a learning disability.

It does not mean that they cannot learn, it just means that they usually take longer to learn some things than other children their age. Indeed, most children with Down syndrome will go to a school or nursery just like yours.

Down syndrome can affect health

Down syndrome is associated with an increased risk of a number of medical conditions, some of which are serious (such as heart problems), but many of which are not.

Many individuals with Down syndrome have some problems with their eyesight and/or their hearing which can also make it harder for them to learn things.