Down syndrome also known as “trisomy 21” is a genetic condition in which a child is born with an extra chromosome which causes certain characteristics and developmental delays. In sexual reproduction (meiosis) the new cell will have half of the mother's chromosomes 23 and half of the father's chromosomes 23, for a total of 46 (23 pairs) in the new cell (zygote). In a child with Down syndrome he will have an extra chromosome 21 for a total of 47 chromosomes. There is no specific reason why this extra chromosome is present, but the older the mother is at the time of birth, the more likely her baby is to have Down syndrome. Down syndrome is named after John Langdon Down, the first person to describe the condition in 1866. He noticed that some of his patients had very similar characteristics and had the same intellectual characteristics despite having no connection. He initially called the condition “Mongoloid idiocy” because he believed that patients had characteristics similar to those of a Mongol, although this name was not used for long. People disputed the fact as the patients had very different characteristics such as hair or eye color and some had blond hair and light skin unlike a Mongolian. "The number of idiots who have organized themselves around the Mongol type is so great and bear so close a resemblance to each other in mental power that I will describe one idiot member of this racial division selected from the great number who have fallen under my observation. The face is flat and broad and without protuberance. The cheeks are round and extended laterally and are positioned obliquely and the inner canthus are spaced further apart than normal. The palpebral fissure is very narrow parents, who have done a tremendous amount of research and are involved in every aspect of his development. It is always important that parents are included in decisions regarding his medical care as they are Dylan's primary care providers health problems such as ASD and making informed decisions about his treatment is crucial. My role is to listen to Dylan and his parents' needs and take into consideration all their requests when he is at school. I also make them aware of everything he learns as he learns it, his teacher also communicates with his parents. My duty to care for him is to listen to him, allow him to make decisions whenever possible, praise him and encourage him whenever I can.