We needed a vacation. I mean really. It has been quite a year. No complaints and B”H much to be grateful for. Although quite a few of my family members got Covid, B”H no one was seriously ill, and except for an occasional krechts here and there, it is behind us.

I was sitting at a Bar Mitzvah, when a guest sidled up to me. We share mechutanim and she is a sweetheart of a woman. She is employed in a professional capacity and works with special needs children. As occurs frequently, many people are curious about Moishey.

Bruchy is my fifth child; she was born with Down syndrome and is the highlight of our family. She was developing nicely and reaching milestones sooner than expected. At 2 weeks old she was holding her head up when on her tummy. At 5 months old she rolled over.

Bruchy is my fifth child; she was born with Down syndrome and is the highlight of our family. She was developing nicely and reaching milestones sooner than expected. At 2 weeks old she was holding her head up when on her tummy. At 5 months old she rolled over.

What made you realize that there may be something wrong?
Devoiry was a happy and loveable infant who brought us much joy on a daily basis. At around 6 months of age, we started noticing a type of movement that was not typical of Devoiry. Her arms and legs would jerk slightly while her eyes rolled to one direction. 

Shlomo was born full term and everything seemed normal to everybody around me, except for me. It was only after several weeks that he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. What I thought would be the biggest challenge of raising a child, turned out to be miniscule in comparison to what else was going on.

Epilepsy in Down Syndrome is an important disorder for families to be aware of. Though it is not very common, epilepsy occurs more frequently in those with Down Syndrome than in the general population, with a prevalence up to about 15%.

Infantile (Epileptic) Spasms represent the most common epilepsy syndrome in Down syndrome.  Infantile Spasms usually occur in the first year of life, but may present later, particularly in children with Down syndrome.  Compared with the general population, there is a higher risk of infantile spasms in babies with Down syndrome…

Infantile spasms has many potential causes. The clinical course and outcome can vary from patient to patient. Below I will describe some cases to illustrate just how variable infantile spasms can be.

Infantile spasms are a unique type of seizure disorder that appears in infancy. Although infantile spasms are rare in the general population, they are the most common type of seizure seen among babies with Down syndrome, with a prevalence of approximately three percent. They emerge between the ages of three and twelve months, peaking at four to eight months…