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Western Australia - Glossary Term
Down Syndrome (1866 - )
- From
- 1866
- Alternative Names
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- Location
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Down syndrome is a genetic condition and is a common cause of intellectual disability. Historically, many children with Down syndrome were placed in out-of-home care.
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Down syndrome was named after the superintendent of a British asylum, Dr Langdon Down, who identified the syndrome in 1866. Although children with Down syndrome resemble their individual families, there are some physical characteristics common to the syndrome. Langdon Down interpreted these physical symptoms as 'an example of regression from a higher race (Caucasian) to a lower race (Mongol) and hence gave the name Mongolism to the syndrome'.
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