My Child Has These Odd Behaviors! Autism in Children with Down
Syndrome by Cyndi Ringoen Austin’s parents have taken him to the
doctor. They have a few concerns to discuss. Austin rejects hugs
and kisses from them; he won’t leave his shirt on; he screams
every time his mom needs to vacuum the house; he sits for hours
by himself quietly humming while lining up cars in a neat row.
The doctor observes the child in front of him. Austin won’t make
eye contact. He isn’t responding to directions (seems almost not
to hear), instead he is quietly sitting while continually
flipping the pages of a book. “Ah hah!” thinks the doctor. His
diagnosis is Autism. There is a small, but consistent and
significant portion of children with Down syndrome who also
become labeled as autistic. Once parents have come to terms with
the diagnosis of Down syndrome and all it entails, the addition
of yet another label, another set of obstacles often becomes
overwhelming. In this article I hope to provide families with
demystifying informat