How do people with down syndrome live?

Answer 1

Most people with Down syndrome have slurred speech, and tend to walk a bit slower than 'normal' people, and can't travel very far on foot anyway. There was a boy from my secondary school who had down syndrome, you might expect everyone to tease him and all that but, funnily enough, everyone was very nice to him (although sometimes he could get a bit weird!) and h had specialist care from the teachers at our school, so its not that bad social-wise, not that much health-wise either.

Overall, those with Down Syndrome seem to have a shorter-than-average lifespan (they tend to die 10-15 years before "normal" people in their country), though the exact cause of this early Death Rate is not definitively known (it may be related to societal causes, not just Down Syndrome itself). In general, those with Down Syndrome can live a life very similar to normal, though they do have some restrictions:

(a) their learning capability is significantly slower and lower than normal. Thus, it takes much longer for them to learn new things, and they have a much lower level of achievement (that is, the "ceiling" of their ability is much lower than normal). However, they can learn all the abilities needed to function in normal society, with reasonable effort.

(b) they have somewhat lower level of coordination and balance than normal, making tasks requiring fine motor control much more difficult than usual (in the days before velcro, tying ones' shoes was a non-trivial task).

(c) their ability to do complex abstract reasoning is severely compromised. However, they do seem to have little problem with social interaction and deduction.

(d) as a result of (a), (b), and (c), those with Down Syndrome are unable to hold a job in a large fraction of today's job market, mostly those in the professional (and higher-paid) areas. Thus, they tend to be relegated to either simple manual labor or service jobs. However, they can often perform these jobs at a much higher job-satisfaction and performance level than a "normal" person, as they are much less likely to suffer from burnout and job boredom.

Overall, a person with Down Syndrome can hold a job, marry, raise children, and otherwise have a reasonably normal life. They tend to be limited to the lower economic jobs (and thus, experience all the problems of being poorer than average). They also generally need to have some sort of support system (whether family, friends, or social worker) that can occasionally help them with tasks too complex for their abilities - like doing taxes. And, frankly, to watch out for those looking to take advantage of them.

Answer 2

They live like everyone else. People with Down syndrome need to have early intervention therapies (physical, speech, & occupational) in order to reach their full potential.