Not a Downs syndrome kid

I truly hate when I hear someone say, "he is a Downs Syndrome child".  First of all, it is Down Syndrome and most importantly, he is a child first and he just happens to have Down Syndrome.  People, especially educators really need to remember that they are dealing with a child.  A child with parents who love them and siblings who care for them.  When we look at a child as a syndrome, we forget they are a human being.  We forget to treat them as we would want our child treated.  We forget that they have their own special talents and traits.  That their family has much more to do with who they are than does a rearrangement of chromosomes or metabolic issues.  Yes, it is important to know about medical, behavioral and educational issues that are associated with specific syndromes, conditions and disabilities, but that is only a gross picture of a person, each is an individual and must be experienced as such and cherished as such.