Not everyone can say they have a picture of their chromosomes so I think it's pretty neat that Kayla has a picture to show what hers look like.
I have been emailing this picture to Kayla's teachers the past 3 years so they can show it on the Smartboard when I come in to talk to the class about Kayla and Down syndrome.
This year Kayla is going to tell the class that she has 47 chromosomes and I, and the rest of the class, have 46.
I think this visual is helpful for her classmates to see what chromosomes look like ... and pointing out the extra one on the 21st pair is what makes Kayla have Down syndrome.
I will tell them that people with Down syndrome have been around as long as humans have been on this Earth.
Most people are born with 46 chromosomes but some people are born with 47. Sometimes that extra one is on the 21st pair, sometimes it's on the 13th or 18th. Some people are born with deletions and have a missing one from a chromosome pair.
It's the diversity of humankind.
Having an extra chromosome is just the way Kayla was born and that's ok.
3 comments:
Thank you for posting this. It's fascinating to see an actual picture of actual chromosomes. Closest I've ever seen this is a text book. It is pretty neat indeed. I just love her school photo!
beautiful pic of her 5th grade pic. so much older looking, growing up. I really like the visual you present!! Helps with the understanding of chromosomes and their role in creating the special people we all are in this world. love mom
That's a great visual for the kids and everyone else to see. It makes things so much more clear and concrete. I think it also puts things into perspective that Kayla has one small difference, but in the vast majority of ways she is the same as everyone else. And my goodness, she is growing into such a beautiful young lady!!
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