[log in to unmask] a inscrit (wrote) :
> ....  Parents are told by some doctors "Set your
> expectations low for your child.  They will not have a normal life."  I was
> told by a school physician that I should not try out for track because of my
> disability.  I should be in Special Olympics.  My teachers went to that physician
> and had a few choice words with him.  I was approved the next day. .....



Being a physician and having to tell the parents what should be their
expectations is a very difficult thing, and I'm afraid I could compare
it to playing russian roulette. On one hand, there are parents for whom
their kid will always perform and will always be the best (even with an
IQ of 25), and parents who would be seriously disappointed if their kid
can't compare with Enstein and Lance Armstrong combined. In extreme
cases, these parents might even react angrily because their kid performs
poorly physically, intellectually (or both). For these parents, I
suspect a physician should make sure they have low expectations, because
they will be pleasantly surprised by their child.

On the other hand, there are parents who are naturally inclined to think
of the "poor young crippled" who can't do anything by him/herself, who
must be (over)protected, etc. The last thing they need is indeed a
physician who would set their expectations even lower! They rather need
one who would insist on pushing the child, on expecting as much as any
other child, etc.


--

Michel Gagnon               mailto:[log in to unmask]
Montréal (Québec, Canada)