The other day I took Annabelle, Sophie’s big sister, to a doctor appointment at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The doctor recommended a flu shot and, glancing at the consent form, I noticed the term “mental retardation.” In 2016. Look, I get that in the scheme of things this is not a big deal. Frankly, I’d rather […]
I am so selfish that I actually had the following thought on Tuesday morning: How dare Eunice Shriver die on Sophie’s first day of school. I know. I’m horrible. But really, for once, I’d love to have a day that is just about Sophie. Sophie. Not my future Special Olympian, my mentally retarded kid — […]
So I’m doing this reading tonight. Don’t be offended because I didn’t invite you. I didn’t invite anyone, not really. I screwed around on Facebook, trying to post something, but I’m not sure that worked. Anyhow, I’m doing this reading. I’m reading the original version (with some tweaks) of the piece I did for This American […]
Can people with Down syndrome vote? That has got to be the worst question I’ve asked since Sophie was born. The second worst: When Sophie was three months old — and about to have open heart surgery — I asked the geneticist whether people with Down syndrome ever have curly hair. (He gave me a […]
In February, Sophie’s “team” at her pre-school broke the news that they weren’t so sure she was mentally retarded. They sent me home with a copy of my parental rights and a pink paper heart that Sophie had cut herself, with minimal assistance. This was huge. She might be relatively smart, but no one can […]
Before you start pelting rotten eggs at your computer screen, let me explain. First, “mental retardation” is a medical term. The IQ cut off is 69. Seventy, and you’re not retarded. Second, I have spent much of the year considering this topic, particularly since Sophie’s IQ clocked in at 83. (This was the topic of […]
Saturday’s show is up now at www.thislife.org – the last segment in the “Social Engineering” show from June 27 is Sophie’s. I haven’t tried it (um, no thanks, don’t want to hear the sound of my own voice again — don’t you hate that?) but looks like you can just click and listen.
