I know that there have been other threads that have talked about how crass some teenagers can be regarding people with DS. I just felt that I had to pass on the conversations that went on in my lesson today.
We were looking at DNA mutations, how and why the happen etc. We had to use a rather old text book for part of it, and a newer text for the second part. The older text described Down's syndrome as causing 'mental retardation', horrible, horrible phrase, so I wasn't using it for that bit of the lesson IYSWIM. One of the girls had finised the work I had set and had read on in the text. She put up her hand, and said 'This is wrong, they shouldn't say things like this, people with downs have learning disabilities, special needs, they are not retarded.'
The rest of the class all joined in on the discussion, citing +ve experiences of down's. I could have hugged them!! So something is canging for the good in peoples attitudes.
I was so proud of them.