Children with Down's syndrome need guidance

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Parents of children with Down's syndrome need to provide guidance and information on reproductive health when their children enter puberty, an expert says.

Psychologist Lucia R.R. Royanto said during a seminar here on Saturday that children with Down's syndrome experienced puberty like other children, but the children with Down's syndrome were not used to expressing their feelings.

"Parents need to understand that without correct information and proper education on reproductive health, children with Down's syndrome will misbehave," Lucia said during the seminar, organized by the Indonesian Special Olympics Association.

She suggested that parents patiently explain reproductive health to their children using simple language, as they have the capacity to process and understand information.

"The parents should tell their daughters what menstruation is, when it happens and what should be done when it happens. Boys must also know about their private parts, which cannot be exposed in public," she said.

"Then parents need to slowly explain what masturbation is, and advise them not to do it in public."

Intellectual disabilities are divided into three levels: heavy, moderate and mild.

People with IQs below 50 are classified as having a heavy intellectual disability, while those with an IQ of between 50 and 70 are classified as having a moderate disability. Mild intellectual disability is classified as an IQ between 70 and 85.

Despite limited language and math abilities, children with mild intellectual disabilities are able to follow regular classes until the sixth grade with patient mentoring.

Children with moderate intellectual disabilities usually are not able to follow regular school classes, however, they are able to take care of themselves with proper training.

"As for those who are heavily retarded, intensive assistance and monitoring are required as they are not able to understand things related to puberty," Lucia said.

Like other children, children with Down's syndrome go through puberty between the ages of 12 and 20, depending on their hormonal changes.

"It is a phase when children try to find their identity and start to experience sexual drives as a result of hormonal changes," she said.

In many cases, children with Down's syndrome are confused in their search for an identity and in dealing with sexual problems, Lucia said.

Therefore, she said, parents should take the initiative by talking with their children about puberty-related issues.