Welcome Pamela and family!

July 19, 2003

Dear Pamela,

Testing for Mosaic Down syndrome is done through a blood karyotype and sometime

a FISH test. The FISH test is a simple cheek swab on the inside of the mouth.

This is done because sometimes the trisomy 21 cells only show up in the skin and

not the blood. It is in my opinion, that if your Pediatrician has suggested MDS,

it would be a good idea to have the test done. This way, you have an accurate

diagnosis. It will help you in raising your child and without knowing, you will

more than likely always wonder about it.

People with MDS often reach their developmental milestones at an earlier age

than one with DS. When did your child sit, crawl, stand, or walk(if this applies

at this early age)Also, studies suggest that people with MDS often are

developmentaly on task with their peers. Of course, this depends on where the

trisomy 21 cells are and what they affect. Many of our members are high

functioning if not " normal " functioning.

I hope that this helps you and answers your questions. If you ever need any help

or have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time.

Sincerely,

Kristy Colvin

IMDSA President

IMDSA

PO Box 1052

lin,TX. 77856

The only handicap a person has are the people around them!

jaded_angel_33002 wrote:

my name is pamela. i have a 15 month old diagnosed with down

syndrome. the pediatrician mentioned that she thought he may be

mosaic...how is testing for this done, is it helpful to know, and

what really are the differences?

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