Are there any people with down syndrome that have near-normal intelligence?

Question

Are there any people with down syndrome that have near-normal intelligence?

Answer 1

Of course!  you see them bagging grocery's and working as dishwashers.  etc.   they have intellegence in their own way!

We have one in my town that lives in his own apt., set up by his dad and frequently checked on.

I get upset when they are assumed to be totaly ignorgant.

They are not! I also get upset when people call them by the name that was set up for them back in the 50's or so.

and that word is mongoloid. people who call them that are mongoloids themselves.

Answer 2

I worked with people with physical and mental disabilities and no, not "normal", intelligence, but intelligent enough to care for themselves. Most of them will reach an equivalence to say a twelve yr. old. They're very loving, and caring, unconditionally, which is a God send in itself. I have a neighbor with down syndrome and she's so love able, and she'll never live on her own but in an institution or with family. I hope this helps your question.

Answer 3

Yes, those who are conversational, who can follow instructions very well and can do things independently.  Sometimes, they can even anticipate your instruction/request by mere gestures, even before you have spoken the word that you wish to ask from them.

Answer 4

Yes there are, particularly people who are identified as "Mosaic" Down Syndrome. In this version, some of the cells have the normal 46 chromosomes, while some have 47. Still even some Down Syndrome people with all 47 cell anomalies can approach normal intelligence.

Answer 5

Most people with Down syndrome have mild to moderate mental retardation.  It is possible, but very rare, for a person with DS to have a near-normal IQ.

However, there are many successful and happy people who life a satisfying life despite having a below average IQ.  My sister BJ has Down syndrome, and she has a very happy and productive life.  She lives in a group home, has a job and a checking account, and travels by public transit.  She has friends and a boyfriend (who also has DS.)   BJ has her own computer and surfs the Web, emails friends and family, etc.  She reads and writes well, but her math skills are not as good;  someone has to help her to balance her checking account.  (But I know plenty of people with normal IQs who have the same problem.)  Her IQ does place her in the mild to moderate range of mental retardation (and that's a diagnostic/ descriptive term, not an insult), but she is one of the happiest people I know.  In the end, our satisfaction in life has very little to do with IQ.