"Give us a hug, Kev. Oh, go on." Kevin grins and hugs, obviously enjoying himself. "Oh, ain't he cute."
Kevin is 18 years old. Most young men of his age would curl up and die at the thought of being cute. But having been born with Down's syndrome, Kevin has been called "cute" from day one. Unfortunately, this has always elicited the type of response described above from people who don't really understand but want to have something to say to a young person with learning disabilities.
Part of society
Hugging and kissing is fine during the early years, but if it continues it encourages a pattern of behaviour that will segregate the learning disabled young person from mainstream society.
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