Stacked Deck

I wanted to let that last post stand on its own for a little while before adding that I understand that I am part of the problem.

On a Down syndrome discussion board that I occasionally read, one mother was recounting her toddler's experience being tested by his future school district to determine his special education needs. He was mildly to moderately delayed in most areas, including gross motor, fine motor, speech, and cognition. But he was slightly ahead of developmental norms socially. No one was surprised by this. Kids with Down syndrome are often very social.

But that's not how we as a society measure success. We think of academic success, athletic success (Special Olympics doesn't "really" count), and professional success (money money money!). I buy into that. When I described all these "successful" people with Down syndrome, I talked about how well they've done in school, what they do professionally (for money!) and their athletic accomplishments. I'm sure that there are thousands of happy adults with Down syndrome who feel "successful" and who are beloved within their own communities, even if they never achieve material success the way we tend to define it in this culture.