If you have some sort of mental retardation does that mean you have Down syndrome?

Answer 1

No. Down's is only one of millions of reasons to become retarded. While it used to be thought that only children with Down's were the only ones who were mentally retarded, it is now known that Down syndrome is only one of the hundreds of known causes of a child being mentally retarded.

It's even been documented that one-third of the children who are mentally retarded have no known cause.

Two other major known causes are Fragile X and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder. Like Down syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome is a chromosome abnormality.

However, FASD is not a chromosome abnormality. FASD is the only preventable -- 100% preventable -- cause of mental retardation. It is also the only one that is 100% untreatable. It's actually been estimated that FASD affects 40,000 infants each year. That is more than Spina Bifida, Down syndrome and Muscular Dystrophy combined.

Lots of research is being done endlessly -- with parental education being the most important.

Answer 2

The mental retardation associated with down syndrome varies by person. The mental retardation of people with down syndrome are categorized as mild to severe. However, there are famous people with Down Syndrome who have shown great talent and intelligence. Some of these people are the actor Chris Burke from the T.V. series Life goes on and a renowned poet named Gretchen Josephson.

Answer 3

There is some degree of retardation with Down's Syndrome but many are capable of doing many things.