Down Syndrome
Welcome to the UC Davis MIND Institute and Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (CEDD)
resource page for Down Syndrome.
What is Down Syndrome?
Down syndrome is a condition in which a baby is born with an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are small “packages” of genes in the body. They determine how a baby’s body forms during pregnancy and how, as the baby grows in the womb and after birth, the baby’s body functions. Normally, a baby is born with 46 chromosomes. Babies born with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of these chromosomes. This extra copy changes the body’s and brain’s normal development and causes mental and physical problems for the baby.
Even though people with Down syndrome might have some physical and mental features in common, symptoms of Down syndrome can range from mild to severe. Usually, mental development and physical development are slower in people with Down syndrome than in those without it.
Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Down Syndrome Education USA
- Down Syndrome Information Alliance
- Global Down Syndrome Foundation
- MedlinePlus
- National Association for Down Syndrome
- National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources
- National Down Syndrome Congress
- National Down Syndrome Society
The websites listed are independent of the UC Davis MIND Institute and Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (CEDD). Resources are provided for information only and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of the UC Davis MIND Institute and
the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.