Dear Amy: Although I am perfectly comfortable chatting with others about Down syndrome, I don’t know how to handle situations when others are uncomfortable.
Our family has/had three members with Down syndrome; my youngest sister was born with DS in 1968, and passed away in 2016.Advertisement
When meeting someone for the first time, if I mention that we have a grandson with DS, the other person often looks like a “deer caught in the headlights.”I could choose not to say anything in the first place, but then avoiding the obvious can also be uncomfortable. And just as you and I are likely very different from one another, no two neurodivergent people are alike, either.Would you like them to say, “Oh, that’s interesting,” ask about your grandson’s schooling, or ask, “What’s that like for you?”
When I said I thought it was strange that he didn’t care to know my birthdate, he accused me of “trying to start a fight.”AdvertisementI have often remarked on how important I believe birthdays to be, because this is a day when others are invited to acknowledge and celebrate your very existence.
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