| Since children with Edwards� Syndrome are not able to speak and hear very well, speech therapists try to teach them sign language or how to use a symbol book. Most children learn on average of one to three signs by the age of five (Baty et al 190). Being able to learn so few words in sign language is mostly due to their mental delay; however, there are a number of physical abnormalities in their hands that disable them to form the signs correctly (�Mental Retardation�). Some of these abnormalities are overlapped flex fingers, clenched hands, and low arches on fingers with the axial triradius high (Passarge et al 775, �Trisomy 18 Syndrome�, Shipp). When the hands are clenched together, it is difficult for the children to use a symbol book and point at the symbols they want. Sometimes when they try to point, they point at an object, which they do not desire, therefore conveying the wrong desire to their caregiver. Clenched hands make it nearly impossible for the child to use sign language as a form of communication. When the fingers are overlapped, children are unable to sign because the signs become distorted. It is also difficult for them to point at symbols in a symbol book. Therefore, hand abnormalities limit the ways they are able to communicate to the world around them. Edwards� Syndrome impacts communication skills greatly by the children who have mental retardation and a large number of physical abnormalities. Mental retardation influences communication by the brain�s reactions being slower to their environment and it does not allow them to learn as fast and as much as the average child (�Mental Retardation�). However, physical complications and abnormalities in children with Edwards� Syndrome impact the ability for a child to communicate. Sometimes the children are greatly influenced by the physical means that their mental retardation has no significant influence on their communication. In this case, their caregivers have to guess at what the child needs and desires. However, there are times the child is able to overcome their physical complications and learn to communicate. In one case, a child with Edwards� Syndrome was not able to hear, speak, and learn sign language, so the child was taught to use a symbol book to express their desire to use a certain toy (Crowder). Children�s communication skills are greatly impacted by Edwards� Syndrome. Having an extra chromosome on trisomy 18 gives the child moderate to severe metal retardation and a number of physical abnormalities. No two cases of Edwards� Syndrome have the same abnormalities; therefore, this challenges the child to learn to communicate by alternative ways, such as a symbol book, sign language, facial expressions, and gestures. Works Cited Baty, B. J., et al. "Natural History of Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13: Ii. Psychomotor Development." American Journal of Medical Genetics 49.2 (1994): 189-94 Crowder, Stacey. Personal Interview. 10 December 2001. Epstein, Charles J. The Phenotypic Mapping of Down Syndrome and Other Aneuploid Conditions: Proceedings of a National Down Syndrome Society Conference Held in New York, January 14 and 15, 1993. New York: Wiley-Liss, 1993 Holmes, J. M., and C. M. Coates. "Assessment of Visual Acuity in Children with Trisomy 18." Ophthalmic Genetics 15.3-4 (1994): 115-20. King, Janis. Personal Interview. 1 November 2001. �Mental Retardation�. The Merck Manual Home Edition. 2001. 2 Jan 2002. <http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual-home/sec23/255.htm> Myers, David. Exploring Psychology Fourth Edition. Ed. Catherine Woods. 4th ed. Holland, Michigan: Worth Publishers, 1999. Passarge, E., et al. "Malformations of the Central Nervous System in Trisomy 18 Syndrome." Journal of Pediatrics 69.5 (1966): 771-8. Scherz, R. G. "Pathologic Variations of the 17-18 Trisomy." Medical Annals of the District of Columbia 35.4 (1966): 195-200. Shipp, Mai and Martin Necas. �Trisomy 18 Associated with Type Two Cystic Adenomatiod Malformation�. 23 Nov 2001 <http://www.obgyn.net/us/cotm/9905/cotm-9905.htm> �Trisomy 18 Syndrome.� National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. 23 Nov 2001 <http://www.stepstn.com/cgi-win/nord.exe?proc=GetDocument&rectype=0&recnum=217 |
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