HOW DOWN SYNDROME MAKES A BRAIN Beautifully DIFFERENT

Seeing people for their abilities, not their diagnoses

- Melissa Hart

When Charlotte Woodward was born, she had a genetic condition called Down syndrome. Doctors told her parents that she'd most likely never learn to read or write. All she could expect as an adult, they said, was a job in a sheltered workshop making less than minimum wage.

"My mom knew that wasn't right, so she didn't take those words to heart," Woodward, now 33, says.

"She instilled in me a love of education, and I started learning to read when I was three and a half years old."

Woodward has a degree in sociology from George Mason University in Virginia. Her studies concentrated in inequality and social change. In the past decade, she's written several articles that have appeared in medical journals and has contributed to a chapter of a book. One TikTok she made about discrimination that people with Down syndrome face has received more than three million views.

What Is Down Syndrome?

In the United States, one in every 700 babies is born with Down syndrome. It's a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of an individual's 21st chromosome. Kids with Down syndrome may be short in stature and have low muscle tone, which can affect their speech. They also possess intellectual disabilities to varying degrees. This means that it may be particularly challenging for them to learn new information and skills.

"One of the most notable differences in brain anatomy between children with Down syndrome and neurotypical children is that the former tend to have smaller brains," says Ben Spielberg. He's a neuroscientist in Los Angeles, California, and has studied the brains of kids with the condition. "Individuals with Down syndrome typically have a smaller hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning, as well as an impacted cerebellum, [which is] responsible for motor coordination."

How Does Down Syndrome Affect Learning?