In addition to the types of health and education professionals Down syndrome shares with autism, DS can also result in significant medical needs, such as surgery for heart defects and cancer treatment. For a child with Down syndrome, the focus might be more about the clear pronunciation of those words. Many support services are similar to those provided for autism but with different objectives.įor example, a speech pathologist might help an autistic child assemble words into complete sentences. Much like autism treatment, Down syndrome treatment is tailored to the needs of the individual. Sometimes, doctors prescribe medication to treat co-occurring conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or mood disorders. Others might benefit from academic support or physical therapy. For some autistic people, that might be speech therapy or social skills training.

The goal of autism treatment for children and adults is to support each individual to make daily life easier. hands that are wide and short, with short fingers.However, DS causes recognizable physical changes, including: less responsive to the sound of their nameĪutism doesn’t affect the way a person looks.Traits shared by both ASD and DS include: ASD includes a wide range of intellectual abilities - from severe delays to gifted, or superior levels of intelligence. For example, some autistic people use gestures, have common language skills, and enjoy spending time with friends.ĭS is also likely to cause individuals to learn and progress more slowly. May act as though other people are inanimate objectsĪutism exists on a broad spectrum and has various behavioral expressions. A doctor can also identify DS characteristics at birth during an exam and confirm with a blood test. It’s possible to diagnose DS before birth using prenatal karyotype testing. Medical testing called karyotyping can check for the chromosomal differences associated with DS. It’s the most common genetic disorder in the United States, affecting about 1 in 700 babies born. Down syndromeĭown syndrome is a chromosomal condition. It’s usually impossible to tell that a person is autistic just by looking at them. It’s possible to spot ASD behaviors in someone as young as 2 years of age, but some autistic people aren’t identified until they’re older or even adult. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1 in 44 children are autistic.ĭoctors identify autism by observing and assessing a child’s behavior and developmental history. People with ASD present with a broad range of traits and can seem completely different. Autism spectrum disorderĪutism is a neurodevelopmental difference that can affect a person’s abilities in language, social interaction, and behavior. There are some distinct and key differences between autism and Down syndrome. About 20% of people with Down syndrome are also autistic. ASD and DS are not the same conditions, but they can occur together.

Mosaic down syndrome celebrities