answered 5 years ago The average IQ of an adult with Down syndrome is approximately 50 (equivalent to the mental capability of an 8-year-old kid). Therefore, if a normal person is dating someone with Down syndrome, it possibly means this normal person’s IQ is probably 75, e.g. Forrest Gump. But there is nothing wrong with that.
Since there is no cure for Down syndrome, many repercussions may happen if you date someone with Down syndrome. For example, if you expect your partner who has Down syndrome to improve his/her IQ, you will be very, very disappointed. Another problem is only 20% of adults with Down syndrome do paid work (a lot of them require a sheltered work environment), so your partner with Down syndrome may need financial support in the long term. Apart from that, life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome is about 50-60 years in First-World countries, provided proper health care is offered.
Please note that we shouldn’t look down upon people with Down syndrome. It is one of the most common abnormalities in humans because it happens in 1 per 1,000 babies born per year. There are approximately 5.4 million people with Down syndrome in the world, so it is more common than you think.
Also, men with Down syndrome generally don’t father children because of their slow sperm development and non-existent love lives, whereas women with Down syndrome have much lower rates of fertility. Usually, fertility is considered to be present in 40% of women with Down syndrome. These women’s menopause happens at an earlier age. As of 2006, only 3 instances of men with Down syndrome fathering children & 26 cases of women with Down syndrome having children have been documented. Without modern medicine, half of the kids of someone with Down syndrome will have Down syndrome as well.
Please login or Register to submit your answer
