A word or two from other Dads:

Life with a son with Down's syndrome.  Simon Barnes is a British Sports journalist and author,.This extract about Eddie's love of books, and animals, and how sign has enhanced his communication, from his new book was published by Times Online (ironically, in the Womends section).  In it he poses the question, What is Eddie for?

His short answer is Eddie’s function is to be loved, and to love in return. Perhaps that is everybody’s ultimate function. Read the extract, and then maybe the book, My Natural History: The Animal Kingdom and How it Shaped Me by Simon Barnes (Short Books) for the long answer.

The comments are appreciative and apt, without being overly sentimental - such as Thanks.......refreshing to read a piece that is so delightfully uncomplicated.  Added 7th March 2010

Down's syndrome: how one family adapted their life for the better, Edward Batha, The Independent (UK), 9th October 2007 When Edward Batha's newborn daughter was diagnosed with Down's syndrome, he thought it would spell a lifetime of suffering. But one year on, her resolute character and sunny nature has led him to rethink what it means to be a member of society

"We still don't know what 'normal' really is",  Michael Berube, Toronto Globe and Mail, Saturday 3^rd March, 2007    

Last month, breaking research raised the possibility of prenatal exams for autism. And MDs urged Canadians to expand screening for Down syndrome to all pregnant women. But as the father of a son with 'genetic abnormalities,' [his son has Down syndrome] Michael Berube questions whether this is an advance - or merely a smokescreen for our view of disability.

Michael Berube is a professor at Penn State University and the author of Life As We Know It: A Father, A Family, and an Exceptional Child (see library list below).

Golly, What Did Jon Do? George F. Will, contributing editor, Newsweek,  (29th January 2007) responds to a recent recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, on prenatal testing for Down syndrome.

I'm not a saint, just a parent   (The Times, UK, November 13, 2006) In a moving extract from a new book published to mark the 60th Anniversary f Mencap, The Times chief sports writer Simon Barnes describes life with his five-year-old son Eddie.