terminology

I saw a post about how people use the term "Down's Syndrome". A mother of a baby with Down Syndrome wanted to explain that some of the ways people refer to her child are offensive. For example, calling her baby a "Down's Baby" is wrong. It is wrong to label anybody by their illness or condition. That is like saying "cancer baby" or "crack baby". Offensive. And the term is Down Syndrome, not Down's Syndrome or Down's. A child with Down Syndrome, is an appropriate way to say it. So I replied to her, remembering what I learned at the TASK seminar I went to.

I agree. I learned about this only recently when I went to a seminar to learn about handling my son's special education needs.

The term is "individuals with special needs" or a child with special needs. Not learning disabled, but a child with a learning disability.

Or, a child is not "autistic", but he is a child with autism, or an individual with autism.

Also, they told me that the word "handicapped" is offensive, which I never knew. It describes how folks used to be forced to beg for money on the street with their cap in their hand. :-(

Now I like to think of myself as a sensitive person. And if I was able to get through over 40 years of living without knowing these things, I bet there are others out there too, who might benefit from knowing this.