What's in a Name?

What's in a name? That which we call Autism or Down Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy by any other name is still not a disease – because you can’t catch it from us.

For example:

• The “A-word”: Autism. An overly simple definition of autism is a brain defect that causes problems in a person's ability to socialize, speak, and focus.
  
• The “D-word”: Down Syndrome. A condition named after a doctor (Dr John Langdon Down) for babies born with an extra chromosome (47 instead of 46).
  
• The “CP-word”: Cerebral Palsy. Simply defined, a combination of a sane mind with a disobedient body.

These names and many others come under the general category of “Developmental Disability,” meaning a mental or physical disability (such as the above) arising before adulthood and usually lasting throughout life.

How did we get it – this thing called developmental disability?
Some of us got it from Mom’s or Dad’s abnormal genes. Some of us got it because Mom drank alcohol or got an infection like rubella in the weeks before we were born. Others didn’t get enough oxygen during Mom’s labor or during birth. Some of us were just fine – until the day we got whooping cough, measles, or meningitis. Maybe we nearly starved to death or maybe we didn’t get to the doctor in time. Maybe we were exposed to poisons like lead or mercury. And maybe – just maybe – we are blind or deaf as well.

So clearly, our problem is not a disease. You can’t catch it from us. It is not a type of mental illness, like depression. There is no cure for it. But we can learn to do many things. It just takes us more time and effort than our “normal” friends.

There may be some things we’ll never learn, but our teachers here are amazing. Today they taught us the “T-word”: TEAMWORK.