Color Blindness

• Color blindness is the inability to distinguish certain colors or the perception of colors in an odd way. The most common form of color blindness is the inability to distinguish red from green. Another form is the inability to distinguish blue from yellow. Almost one in 10 men suffer from some form of color blindness, which is a recessive trait passed on from mother to son.
  
  

Developmental Delays

• Autism-spectrum disorders or mental retardation are two of the most common developmental delays that can be passed from mother to child. Fragile X syndrome, in which the FMR1 gene is altered, is the syndrome most often responsible for these conditions. The defect in this gene creates a lack of protein needed for proper brain functioning. Other characteristics include hyperactivity, speech/language delays, flat feet and a large forehead with prominent jaw features.
  
  

Hearing Problems

• Hearing loss is commonly linked to a mitochondrial DNA disorder. This can include slight problems with one or both ears, or total and complete deafness. Hearing loss or problems is more likely if the mother has hearing issues herself or in her family lineage. Short stature, like hearing loss, is another of the 60 or so disorders linked to mitochondrial DNA mutations. Short stature in children is again more likely if the mother or her family lineage is also small in size.
  
  

Short Stature

• Short stature, like hearing loss, is another of the 60 or so disorders linked to mitochondrial DNA mutations. Short stature in children is again more likely if the mother or her family lineage is also small in size.
  
  

Muscular Dystrophy

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by a recessive gene disorder; it is always passed on by the mother's X chromosome. Symptoms of this disorder vary with the severity of the condition but can include the following: mental retardation, drooling and difficulty with gross and fine motor skills. The disorder can sometimes be seen in early infancy and is almost always diagnosed by age 6. Duchenne muscular dystrophy degenerates the body quickly and most children are in a wheelchair by their teenage years. There is no cure for this disorder.