What if Down Syndrome didn’t have a face?
2019/08/19
One very cold Tuesday evening, our little family cuddle up before the television in front of an episode of “The secret life of 4-year olds”. Tonight’s episode has a new appearance from a little girl with Down Syndrome. Walking into the classroom, the children immediately reacts to her physical appearance and she finds it extremely difficult to make friends. My husband asks: “Why do we start judging others based on physical appearance at such an early age?” And suddenly the penny drops…
Down syndrome is a genetic condition or a chromosomal disorder. It is a type of disability that will affect the child’s development in various ways, but children with DS are first and foremost children like any other who will play, learn and grow, albeit somewhat slower than a child without DS. Some children (not all) will have additional medical challenges.
It is therefore, true that some children with DS will need special assistance. Yet, so does many others without DS. With 1 in 700 children being born annually with DS, the other 699 might also need some sort of intervention throughout their developmental years. There is, therefore developmentally no clear distinction between children with or without DS. No reason for us to separate them from society and place them in special needs schools. It boils down to the physical appearance…
In 1988 a research study was done on the behaviour of kindergarden and primary school children towards the physical appearance of children with DS. A video containing images of individuals with and without DS were screened. The research subjects were significantly more negative in their affective responses toward children with DS, and kindergarten children were more positive in their evaluations of such children. This proves that judgement is a learnt behaviour and we as parents set the example.
As I comb through google, I find a shocking article about a biochemical company in Madrid releasing an abortion drug: “Tranguility”. Their advertisement illegally contains the image of a little girl with DS (No, her mother did not consent to her photo being pulled from social media). As a mom myself, I cannot imagine what it must feel like to have my child be the poster child for killing innocent children.
Judged by physical appearance…
Inspiration
I also stumble upon a few inspirational stories of people born with Down Syndrome: Sheri Brynhard from the Free State who is now teaching children with special needs after obtaining her tertiary education, Karen Gafney who has a science doctorate and is a champion swimmer, Tim Harris who is a successful entrepreneur and Michael Johnson, a well-established painter to name a few. These individuals prove that DS is just a diagnosis.
The phrase: “Don’t judge a book by its cover” has new meaning for me as I write this first blogpost for Aldeia. May you be inspired by a person with Down Syndrome to look beyond the physical appearance and see the diamond beneath.
This post was inspired by a special little boy close to my heart…Lian ❤️