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Researched by Daisy E. |
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Dedication
I would like to dedicate my project to my older brother Armando Esquivel, who passed away from a seizure disorder.
Why I Chose This Topic
I
chose this topic because my brother past away five years from a seizure
disorder and when I heard we had to volunteer somewhere, I new right
then and there what I wanted to do.
Research Summary
Introduction
Have you ever seen a kid who has a mental disability, and wondered what
they had and why they have it? Did you know that these disabilities
can be fatal? My brother had a few of the cases that I learned
about while I was researching.
What is Mental Retardation?
Mental
retardation is not a disease. It is when the brain fails to mature or was
injured while growing. A child can become disabled while in the
mother’s womb, during birth, or after birth.
What Causes Mental Retardation
One
of the most common causes is the mother either smokes, drinks alcohol, or does
drugs while pregnant. Many children are also disabled because a
chromosome breaks or the child has too many of a type of chromosome.
Also, after birth, some diseases may cause damage to the brain.
Unfortunately, for almost a third of all psychiatric patients, it is
unknown why they are the way they are.
Down Syndrome
Down
syndrome was discovered by Dr. John Langdon Haydon Down. Dr. Down
worked in a hospital for people with mental illnesses when he noticed
that a lot of the patients shared the same features. We now
associate these people with Down syndrome, although Dr. Down did not
know what caused it. About a hundred years later a French scientist
realized that it was caused by an extra chromosome. Down syndrome
is one of the most common disabilities. The scientific name for Down
syndrome is Trisomy 21. Some symptoms are: flatter than average head,
shorter necks with a pad of fat on the back, white specks in the iris,
or the colored part of the eye. One other symptom is protrusion tongue
resulting with a smaller than average mouth. Some kids may get all
of these symptoms, or may get only a few symptoms. In the past, many
people that were told their child had Down syndrome just simply left
their child in the hospital. Today, if you have Down syndrome you may
still live a normal life.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy
is a type of
seizure disorder. Epilepsy is not a mental disability but many mentally
challenged
children have it. If you have epilepsy, research shows that you can
still live a long life. Even if you have Epilepsy you may still
live a normal life.
Pataus Syndrome
Pataus
syndrome is also known as Trisomy 13. Trisomy 13 is caused by three
number thirteen chromosomes. This disease occurs in one in every 2,000
births. Most children with this disease don’t live past childhood.
There are many symptoms a child can get such as: smaller than average
size head, small eyes or an absence in eyes, cleft lip and a cleft
palate, low-set ears, heart defects, abnormal genitalia, as well as
sever retardation.
Edward’s Syndrome
Edwards’s syndrome is
also known as Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is caused by 3 number 18
chromosomes. This disease occurs in one in every 4,000 births. Most
kids with this disease don’t live past infancy. Some symptoms are:
smaller than average size head, low-set ears, smaller than average size
jaw, heart defects, misshaped fingers and toes, in addition to sever
retardation.
Career and schooling
Teachers are a big help to
the disabled kids. They help them with many things like math, reading,
writing, and other life skills. Before they become teachers they
must get their teaching degree and then their special education
teaching degree. Being a special education teacher is good but you have
to be prepared for the many challenges and needs they may face.
Volunteer Summery
I
had a great time volunteering. I helped out in the
Selah Intermediate Self-Contained Special Education room. Mrs.
Freeburg is the teacher. I helped many kids like Terry, Tara, Nick,
Chris, and Victoria. I helped Terry a majority of the time I was there.
I helped her with file folder games. I learned that Tara
loves dinosaurs, and any other animals she sees. One day, I went to the
room next door where Jessie, Lacy, Angel, and Luther are. It was
interesting. There was always music playing for them, and they loved
it. I always looked forward to going and helping a student. To
know that I was making a difference in their lives was the greatest
feeling ever. One day I got really sad because my brother’s
old teacher came in and said whenever I wanted, I could go to her
classroom and see the pictures she had of my brother. It brought back a
lot of memories. I loved going to help in the Special Ed. room and I
encourage you to go in and help somewhere.
Who I Interviewed and What I Learned
I
interviewed Mrs. Freeburg on February 25, 2009. She was originally a
sign language interpreter but she decided to become a Special Education
teacher. She helps the kids with normal class work and life skills such as
washing their hands. One of thing that has changed in the recent years
is there is more information on mental disabilities. She loves her job,
helping the kids is her favorite thing to do. One of her dislikes
is she doesn’t really like it when they have tantrums.
Conclusion
These
disabilities are affecting people worldwide. Although there are ways to
help them stay alive longer, there is still no cure for them. I hope in
the future they will find a cure.
How I Evaluate My Entire Project
(1) How thorough and complete was my project?
It is very through and complete.
(2) What would I do differently if starting over again?
I would learn more about why these diseases can be fatal.
(3) What major strengths does my project have?
I think my projects main strength is my Down syndrome paragraph.
(4) What weaknesses or problems does my project have?
My biggest weakness would be my schooling paragraph.
(5) What did I learn to do better during this project?
I learned to be more organized and take notes thoroughly.
(6) In what ways did I enjoy my study and work?
I absolutely loved volunteering in the special ED. Room.
Who Helped Me With My Project
I would like to thank the following people Darian Berger, Mrs. Heitman, Mrs. Freeburg, and Mrs. Goodpaster.
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