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By brother is Down's and he was never overly squirmy as you say your nephew is, actually kinda more calm than the rest of us. But all babies are different, maybe he just likes to move?

What type of downsyndrome does the little guy have? That might have something to do with his squirminess.

I have never understood exactly what "kind" of downs he has...they said it was an extra chromsome 21 - which is what I thought it all was, even though I know there is mosaic and other types of chromosomal issues....I just didn't get a clear understanding from them on his "type". They therapist all say he appears to be very mild with his symptoms.

There are three different types of Down syndrome: Standard Trisomy 21, Translocation, and Mosaicism.

Furthermore it is common for children with Downs syndrome to have low tone. I have 2 students with DS whoe alsohave low tone. They play just like the other children but sometimes struggle with the monkey bars or jumping.

FYI:

Features and Characteristics

There are many physical characteristics that are associated with DS. Not every individual has all the characteristics, however, the following is a list of the most common traits:

Low muscle tone
Flat facial profile (depressed nasal bridge and small nose)
Flattening of the back of the head
Small hands and feet
An upward slant of the eyes
An abnormal shape of the ear
A single deep crease across the center of the palm
An excessive ability to extend the joints
Fifth finger has one flexion furrow instead of two
Small skin folds on the inner corner of the eyes
Excessive space between large and second toe
Enlargement of tongue in relation to the size of the mouth
Mental retardation (can range from very mild to severe, however, is typically mild to moderate)
Speech delays
Short stature
In addition to the common characteristics, a child with DS may also have the following medical issues:

Congenital heart defects
Increased susceptibility to infection
Respiratory problems
Obstructed digestive tracts
Hearing deficits
Eye problems such as cataracts and strabismus
Failure to thrive in infancy and obesity in adolescence
Thyroid dysfunctions
Skeletal problems (hip dislocations, atlantoaxial instability)
Increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (over age 35) and leukemia

Hello, This post caught my attention. Just wondering how your nephew is doing and how your sibling is coping with it all. I am 37 yrs old and am 20 weeks pregnant with my 4th child. I found out last week that my IPS Quad screen shows a 1/22 chance of my baby being born with Down Syndrome. Since we will not abort, we decided NOt to have an amnio as we don't want to risk miscarriage. I had a scan done and at this point the dr saw no markers for this. Did you know before the baby was born? What can I expect if this baby does have this? thanks.

well it is typical because of their muscle tone something like loss of reflexes the baby will need therapy for his strength.i have a daughter thats 13 she is one of 5 children.she is the best thing that has ever happened to me she showed me how to love i mean really love just treat him like he is normal like he is (like the rest of the kids ) and he will be fine.you'll see

Mason is his name and he is doing GREAT! He does have someone come to his home and do occupational therapy with him. They say he is doing GREAT! He is 4mo old now and is holding himself up with his arms and holding his head up good. He knows he is funny and sticks his little tongue out to get people to laugh. My brother and his wife are like many new parents - SURVIVING and working full-time!

Hi, my daughter is 20 mos and has ds. Babies with ds are just as different individually as babies without ds. Some are motor babies (on the go and squirmy) and some are thinkers (quiet and observant). My daughter has always been a mover and is really quite SMART, we often forget she even has ds (at 18 mos she started potty training ~ its still in the works, but when we sit her on the potty she knows what to do! Congrats to 'lovemy3' you are lucky!

sheliabeth - thanks for the update....my nephew seems to be very smart too - at 7 months he is playing patty cake and imitating mouth movements and calling everything da- da. His mom is a bit perturbed! ha ha. My dd does not have downs and is still calling everything da da at 16 months. :-)

Hi, I have a daughter who will PG be 4 in a few months time. The wigglyness that you are talking about is due to low muscle tone. All children with DS are very flexible and 'floppy' which is why even when walking some continue on to have physiotherapy because their walking can be a little unsteady or clumsy. The floppyness doesn' t go and you will see as he gets older and you lift him up he will probably hold his arms up and you will feel like he could slide completely through your grip, it is very different when you hold a 'normal' child because they can support themselves on you.

Of all the difficulties and sadness i have felt, the happiness, proudness and joy has been triple that. We feel the luckiest parents alive. Enjoy your nephew and marvel in everything he achieves!!!

best of luck,
Deborah

My kid has DS and all kids with it have lower muscle tone but it's different for each kid. That would account for the squirmy factor. With some kids it's hardly noticeable and with some it can be so noticeable that it can take them up to 5 years to be able to walk properly. Just depends.