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So, my son has Down Syndrome. Tell me something I don’t know.

They tell us our son is mentally retarded. Maybe he is, but I can tell you that he is more perceptive than I am. He is a much better improvisational dancer, too. He has something you can’t teach: rhythm.

They tell us our son has significant communication deficits. Maybe so, but I can tell you that he communicates more clearly than I do. He leaves no room for misunderstanding. In fact, he is one of the most expressive people I know.

They tell us our son has Down Syndrome and that we have to learn to accept that he will never be normal. That may be the case, but I can tell you that I don’t have Down Syndrome and I will never be normal, either. I don’t even want him to be normal. He has another thing you can’t teach, too: brotherly love.

I can see his palmar crease. I can even see a characteristic T-21 facial expression at times. But I can tell you that he is a lot like us and our ancestors. First he is our son with our genes and our environmental influences. On top of that he has some sort of chromosomal defect.

Our son attends the local, public elementary school. The staff there is very nice to him. The education specialists expect very little out of him. We have taught him math, reading, and his other academics at home. We have done the same with our other five children who do not have Down Syndrome. As with our other children, we send him to school primarily for socialization.

When I take him on a hike, I know he has his limitations, but I expect him to hold up his end of the bargain. I refuse to pamper him. We all have our limitations. When he sits down to do his studies, he is expected to work. There is a time for work and a time for play, and he knows the difference. At Sunday school and youth group, he doesn’t get any special treatment. There isn’t an aide coddling him along. At school, however, he is treated like a cute little dimwit.

But that is the way of life, and it’s not necessarily our local elementary school’s fault. If it was, our story wouldn’t be so very familiar to our readers who have children like him. We don’t exactly expect to find a school where things will be any different for him, but we hope to. If you are reading this and you know of any school, public or private, anywhere in the U.S. where he might be seen to have the potential we know he has; a school where much would be expected of him and where his potential might be developed to the maximum, we would love to have your comments. Feel free to use the comment section here or email us directly. If, on the other hand, you would like to provide your own Georgia school a little feedback, click here.

 Posted on: Sunday, September 9, 2007 at 10:10 am
 special needs school.
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