Written by Carolyn Moynihan

Friday, 02 September 2005

Doctors are getting better at telling parents their baby has Down syndrome. According to research by a Harvard medical student, they need to. Down syndrome is one of the better known disabilities, although there was a time when people with the condition who survived childhood tended to be hidden away in institutions. Today things are different. People with Down (named after the doctor who first described the syndrome) are on the up: they go to ordinary schools and to special Olympics; they star in films and photographic exhibitions; they even provide the waiting staff of a pizza restaurant in Rome. The quirk of nature that produces the syndrome happens at conception, when an extra copy of the 21st chromosome is made – giving three per cell instead of two. In the United States it is estimated that one in every 800 to 1000 births – around 5000 a year – is to an infant with trisomy 21. This affects both mental and physical development, but early intervention programs of physical, speech and occupational therapy are overcoming these disabilities to a remarkable degree. Full story at MercatorNet

4 Comments:

 DearestWarrior said...

several years ago, i remember being served by a blind in a restaurant and recently being massage by them.

I am sure that the society will find a way for other people with "defect" to be productive.

I admire your fervor in this subject.

joma

 AsianSmiles said...

You know, I wanted to say something in this message but I couldn't find the right words heehee.

Sometimes I do not understand why some people do not approach people with 'defects'. Are they afraid that they could offend them? Are they just plain snobs and impatient?

Hm. Nonetheless, I really think that they should see your posted article and see for themselves how charming these babies are. :)

 sunnyday said...

I'm pretty sure most people don't approach those with defects -- as you said -- simply because they feel uncomfortable and aren't sure how to handle it. Add to that their fear of offending the disabled person or the people around him/her. This happens especially when a person hasn't been exposed much. If I didn't have a sister who's handicapped, I'd probably feel uncomfortable too, at least at first. So I guess it's just a matter of educating them =)

But let me add that I, too, hesitate to approach people who have speech defects. The reason is my hearing defect. No, I'm not deaf but when it's noisy around me I have trouble making out conversation. Can you imagine the agony of struggling to understand someone's words above the din? It's not the effor that makes me anxious; it's the fear of offending him if I had to ask him to repeat what he said.

But thanks to a dear friend, the desire to understand has overcome the anxiety =)

 sunnyday said...

Warrior,

Thanks. And you're right -- they CAN be productive. It just takes more patience to show them how, and to be able to smile when they goof sometimes.