Jose maria arguedas ensayo

Down syndrome - what to say (and what not to say)

When speaking about issues relating to Down syndrome in a way that is both factually accurate and inoffensive to the general public, includingpeople with Down syndrome and their families, please consider the table below.

We are sure you share our concerns so please take a minute to check that your copy is in line with the followinglanguage guidelines and that you are not perpetuating any myths about the condition.


|DO NOT SAY |DO SAY|
|Mongol |Person/baby/child with Down syndrome |
|Suffers from OR is a victim of Downsyndrome |Has Down syndrome |
|A Downs baby/person/child |A person/baby/child with Downsyndrome or who has Down syndrome |
|Retarded/mentally handicapped/backward |Learning disability |
|Disease/illness/handicap|Condition OR genetic condition |
|Downs (as an abbreviation) |DS (as an abbreviation ifnecessary) |


|MYTHS |FACTS |
|People with Downsyndrome do not live very long. |Today, people with Down syndrome can look forward to a long life.|
|Only older mothers have babies with Down syndrome. |Although oldermothers have a higher individual chance of having |
| |a baby with Down syndrome, more are born to younger mothers, |
|...