Count Us in: Growing Up With Down Syndrome

Two young Down's syndrome patients discuss their experiences growing up with a developmental disability, and reveal their thoughts and feelings on friendship, school, careers, marriage, independence, and other topics

YA-Written by two young men with Down's Syndrome, this book will open eyes and touch the heart. The interview style is involving as the authors discuss their friendship, having Down's Syndrome, marriage, children, becoming independent, and their hopes and dreams for the future. They speak openly about how people have treated them differently because of their disorder and how they feel about it. The book is occasionally a challenge to read since the authors speak in unusual syntax. Black-and-white photographs from family albums appear in a center insert. Curious teens and friends and family members of the disabled will feel the emotions of these two remarkable young men and learn how they work to cope and to succeed.
Jacqueline Craig, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Two young men with Down syndrome celebrate--with the support and word-processing assistance of their mothers--their successful coming of age and hard-won independence. When, three years apart in the early 1970's, Kingsley and Levitz were born and diagnosed with Down syndrome, their respective parents were advised to institutionalize the boys without even taking them home from the hospital. Fortunately, that advice was ignored, and the parents became friends through the Parent Assistance Program on Down Syndrome, founded by the Levitzes; soon, the boys became friends as well. As pioneers in the infant- stimulation program now widely approved, if not widely available, for Down syndrome children, Levitz and Kingsley entered some early special-education programs and went on to be mainstreamed in high school. Bolstered by the unusually rich cultural resources of their families, they passed their New York State Regents exams, graduated, and are now dipping their toes into college and independent living. The text here consists primarily of transcribed conversations (minus difficulties in articulation) between Kingsley and Levitz, along with their parents' occasional interjections and questions, supplemented by some written material from the young men. It's both a celebration of the pair's triumph over expectations (``we should call each other Up syndrome'') and a sometimes painful recitation of their struggles and sorrows. All the usual issues of adolescence are here--sex, girls, God, death, love, war, independence--discussed with both a realistic assessment and an idealistic innocence that typifies ``mainstream'' teenagers. Levitz, who loves politics, wants to be President; Kingsley, with the soul of a performer, wants to be a teacher, newscaster, actor, and spokesperson for the disabled. Each grudgingly accepts that they may never get driver's licenses--but, as Kingsley says, life is ``A Learning Adventure.'' Worthwhile inspiration and insight for Down syndrome children, as well as for their families, teachers, friends, and advocates. (Photographs) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Kingsley and Levitz write about education, employment, ambitions, families, sex and marriage, and their disability--Down syndrome--in a dialogue format. At Jason's birth, the obstetrician said that he'd never learn anything and should be institutionalized. Fortunately, the Kingsleys ignored this advice, and their son has since attended school, written poetry, registered to vote, and memorized scripts for appearances on "Sesame Street" and "The Fall Guy." Mitchell is an equally successful young man whose mother was one of the founders of the Parent Assistance Committee on Down Syndrome. Hearing about Down syndrome directly from these young men has a good deal more impact than reading any guide from a professional or even a parent. Their comments are eye-opening and heartening. Denise Perry Donavin