Monday, September 19, 2005

Misconceptions....

My post below got me thinking.

What myths, stereotypes or misconceptions did you [or do you] hold regarding Down syndrome/Trisomy 21?

What has or does your child do that makes you think "Wow, there goes another misconception/myth busted?"

So this post is for the 'Myth-busters'

4 comments:

Kim Ayres said...

"They're very loving aren't they?" - this must be one of the most frequent things I hear whenever I mention my daughter has DS.

I must admit it's one of those statements that grates with me. It is another of those sweeping generalisations that allows people to ignore individual differences.

Yes Meg is very loving. My non-DS son is very loving too. Perhaps Meg is sometimes more expressive and is less judgemental about strangers, but she can also be an incredibly annoying pain in the ass like any child. She has so many aspects to her personality that make her unique, that taking one thing to focus on is so shallow.

As I write this I can hear my wife in the background threatening Meg with no stories at bedtime if she won't be more cooperative about having her bath.

The myth that somehow you can lump all children with DS together is one that I would love to see blown away completely.

Amanda said...

My very well-meaning MIL said "You're lucky that Sarah will stay child-like much longer than Emma (my 5 year old). While she's pretty small in comparison to other 17 month olds, she packs a toddler-sized attitude. Adults with Ds have feelings & emotions like other adults, not like children. If we treat our kids like children for their whole lives, they'll never learn independence.

Anonymous said...

I am not yet the mother of a DS child, but I have worked with many of them in the past. I agree that people tend to lump them into one category and they are ALL individuals!! What I've been amazed by is the way this little girl (the one we're trying to adopt) has reached out and grabbed our hearts by merely seeing a VIDEO. That's all it took!

CJ Field
www.fieldfamilynews.com

Naomi said...

The "he'll always be happy"

does he look happy here