Biomedical Model Of Disability Research Paper
Down Syndrome and the Models of Disability
Eli Lowham
University of Wyoming Having a disability is less taboo and increasingly common in a large proportion of the U.S. population today (Smart & Smart, 2006). Speech pathologists in today’s continually expanding world often come across a child with a language disorder stemming from a genetic origin. The most common disorder is Down syndrome. Down syndrome occurs in approximately 1 in 700-1000 births and is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (Schwartz, 2009). Typical human cells contain 46 chromosomes, or 23 pairs. The father’s sperm contains 23 chromosomes and the mother’s egg contains 23 chromosomes (46 total, 23 pairs). Down syndrome is non-inherited, but associated …show more content…
In result, people with disabilities are placed in categories that are stigmatizing and allow society to associate and view them as their disability rather than as a person. Overall this model defines disability in terms of medicine and views the treatment of the disability to lie within the individual with the disability (Smart & Smart, 2006). A person with Down syndrome would be seen as their disability in the Biomedical model. Biologically, they have an extra chromosome 21. In result, they have distinct physical characteristics and a mild to moderate intellectual disability with an average IQ of 50. Their learning impairments are correlated to the cognitive processes that happen within their hippocampus, although studies have found relation to their prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. Individuals with Down syndrome have a 100% chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease by the age of 35 and often have loss of cognitive processing abilities throughout their life (Schwartz, …show more content…
Down syndrome occurs in approximately 1 in 700-1000 births and is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (Schwartz, 2009). The cause stems from trisomy 21, an extra copy of chromosome 21. Some physical characteristics of Down syndrome include a small head, flattened face, short neck, up-slanted eyes, low-set ears, enlarged tongue and lips, and sloping underchin (Down Syndrome, 2017). Down syndrome results in a language system that is disordered with better vocabulary skills than grammatical skills (Rice et al, 2016). Individuals profile includes compromised hearing as well as phonological and articulatory function (Faught et al, 2016). Down syndrome can be examined accurately through an overview of the four models of a
Eli Lowham
University of Wyoming Having a disability is less taboo and increasingly common in a large proportion of the U.S. population today (Smart & Smart, 2006). Speech pathologists in today’s continually expanding world often come across a child with a language disorder stemming from a genetic origin. The most common disorder is Down syndrome. Down syndrome occurs in approximately 1 in 700-1000 births and is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (Schwartz, 2009). Typical human cells contain 46 chromosomes, or 23 pairs. The father’s sperm contains 23 chromosomes and the mother’s egg contains 23 chromosomes (46 total, 23 pairs). Down syndrome is non-inherited, but associated …show more content…
In result, people with disabilities are placed in categories that are stigmatizing and allow society to associate and view them as their disability rather than as a person. Overall this model defines disability in terms of medicine and views the treatment of the disability to lie within the individual with the disability (Smart & Smart, 2006). A person with Down syndrome would be seen as their disability in the Biomedical model. Biologically, they have an extra chromosome 21. In result, they have distinct physical characteristics and a mild to moderate intellectual disability with an average IQ of 50. Their learning impairments are correlated to the cognitive processes that happen within their hippocampus, although studies have found relation to their prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. Individuals with Down syndrome have a 100% chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease by the age of 35 and often have loss of cognitive processing abilities throughout their life (Schwartz, …show more content…
Down syndrome occurs in approximately 1 in 700-1000 births and is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (Schwartz, 2009). The cause stems from trisomy 21, an extra copy of chromosome 21. Some physical characteristics of Down syndrome include a small head, flattened face, short neck, up-slanted eyes, low-set ears, enlarged tongue and lips, and sloping underchin (Down Syndrome, 2017). Down syndrome results in a language system that is disordered with better vocabulary skills than grammatical skills (Rice et al, 2016). Individuals profile includes compromised hearing as well as phonological and articulatory function (Faught et al, 2016). Down syndrome can be examined accurately through an overview of the four models of a