Educational research on children with Down syndrome revealed that: They have the skills of social understanding, empathy and social interaction in a way that allows them to develop and acquire more skills during life in a way that facilitates their integration into society and thus provides them with a better life.
Characteristics of Down syndrome
Often students will have strong empathy with others, good social skills, good short-term memory and visual learning skills.
Children and adults with Down syndrome experience all the same emotions everyone experiences, both good and bad. They also experience mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and others.
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is associated with an assortment of characteristics that undermine interpersonal functioning. A lack of empathy is often cited as the primary distinguishing feature of NPD.
They often have mild to moderate intellectual disability and may have specific challenges with attention span, verbal memory, and expressive communication. Behavioral problems such as stubbornness, impulsivity, and temper tantrums may be more common in children with Down syndrome.
For example, children with Down syndrome show higher rates (than typically developing children) of attention problems, social withdrawal, noncompliance, and compulsions (such as arranging objects and repeating certain actions) [2, 3] , as well as high rates of self-talk .
Those with Down syndrome nearly always have physical and intellectual disabilities. As adults, their mental abilities are typically similar to those of an 8- or 9-year-old. At the same time, their emotional and social awareness is very high.
Trying to cope with anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, and other mental health problems can cause a person to lack empathy, too, simply because they are distracted by their own psychological issues.
Empathy deficit disorder can be a symptom of bipolar disorder. It's also more common in antisocial and narcissistic personality types and people who are on the autism spectrum. At the same time, certain professions, such as surgeon, for instance, can actually diminish a person's empathy.
The orbitofrontal cortex is another area of the brain that helps us react to another person's feelings. Therefore, if any of these brain regions become damaged, a lack of empathy can occur.
While it's nice to think that people with Down syndrome are consistently happy and loving, like most people, they experience a full range of emotions.
We have found, too, that people with Down syndrome may be even more sensitive to anger than to other emotions. Again, this is true whether or not this anger is directed at them or directed at or between others.
Adults with Down syndrome are at greater risk for social isolation, and the challenges of daily living can be daunting.
Most adults with Down syndrome are aware they have Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome live ordinary lives filled with extraordinary needs. You cannot have mild or severe Down syndrome.
In a study of self-awareness among 77 children with DS using interviews, standardized tests, and photographs, over half were considered to have some level of self-awareness about their diagnosis but 13% refused to talk about their condition during their interviews [Cunningham and Glenn, 2004].
Even though people with Down syndrome might act and look similar, each person has different abilities. People with Down syndrome usually have an IQ (a measure of intelligence) in the mildly-to-moderately low range and are slower to speak than other children.
Toxic empathy, also called hyper-empathy syndrome, is a type of empathy disorder where one struggles to regulate their emotions and empathizes with others so much it impacts their well-being. This contrasts empathy deficit disorder (EDD), where one lacks the ability to empathize with others.
Our level of empathy does appear to be shaped by factors like gender, age, and the roles we played in our family of origin. But empathy is also a skill, one that we can develop through effort.
Fear can block empathy. This is a natural survival mechanism that requires intentional work to overcome. Most of us need to feel safe before we can do the work of attempting to deeply understand another's experience beyond seeing that they want to harm us. Hurt and anger can also block empathy.
Not listening to other people's perspectives or opinions. An inability to cope with emotional situations. Lack of patience for other people's emotional reactions. Reacting with impatience or anger when frustrated with other people.
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow affect, glibness, manipulation and callousness.
When it comes to the survival of intimate relationships, no matter how much love there is between you and your partner, there's no guarantee that you both will be able to empathize—even if you think you're "soulmates." Without empathy, the love in your relationship will end up like "love" as in tennis—one big zero.
It is a common birth defect, the most frequent and recognizable form of intellectual disabilities (ID), appearing in about one out of every 700 newborns. The average intelligence quotient (IQ) of children with DS is around 50, ranging between 30 and 70.
As adults with Down syndrome grow older, there is increased risk of experiencing certain common mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and behavioral disturbances. A sudden or abrupt change in mood or behavior patterns warrants further investigation.
Common conditions encountered in adults with DS include: AD, epilepsy, mood and behavioral disorders, visual and hearing impairment, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and autoimmune diseases, such as thyroiditis and celiac disease.