Analysis of the Knowledge and Perception Towards down Syndrome in Adamawa State

Abstract

This was undertaken in to gain an insight on the knowledge and of the AUN towards Down syndrome, further research was conducted with number [3] families in both Adamawa and Rivers States in order to assess how parents cope with the care of a child with Down syndrome.
The research also tried to ascertain the of these parents about the disorder before and after the birth of their children. If they had more than one child with Down syndrome was also a factor studied in the research.
All three families involved in the study had male children with Down syndrome. Their ages ranged from 6 to 10.

Questionnaires with close ended and open ended questions were used for the study carried out in the AUN community.
All parents involved were unaware of their child’s disorder before birth and the mothers were in denial for a while. The research investigates how these parents cope and how the children are being cared for.

Introduction

Background Of Study
Down syndrome is a common genetic disorder; this research is geared towards finding out how many people in the area of focus (American University of Nigeria, Yola) know about the disorder and how much knowledge they have and it will also in turn attempt to raise awareness about the disorder.
The paper is aimed at increasing the understanding of Down syndrome, its causes, how it is being diagnosed, the traits common to the disorder and its risk factors.
It will also discuss the complications associated with Down syndrome, the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome, treatment and prevention. Coping mechanics adopted by the parents will also be discussed.
Aims and Objectives
To know how many people are aware of Down syndrome: This aspect of the project will explore how many people are aware of the disorder and how they gained awareness, through the media, articles, television, school or newspapers.
This will also study the knowledge and attitudes of people who know about Down syndrome because of a family member or relative with Down syndrome.
To figure out how parents cope with the disorder: Many parents who have children with trisomy 21, are prone to being stressed which can affect them both emotionally and psychologically.

References

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