People with special needs

Do you have any experience with people with special needs? What do you think about them?

I don't have a lot of experience with such people. At home where I live, there is a centre for adults with mental retardation near my house and I often see them go for walks in a group when the weather is nice. Looks like a kindergarten group just made up of adults.
I have seen a lot of kids with down syndrome. They have such a positive air around them, I find it hard to explain. The people that have more contact with them tell me that they are an addition to their lives and I can believe that.

That's really true. Many people think that it's hard to live with them. I mean, it sure isn't that easy, but they really have \"something\", some positive energy around them. You simply can't be unhappy in their company.

What do you mean by \"spécial needs\"?


Mes hommages.

T.

People with intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, blind people...

Hmm..I tend to skirt around this topic, especially on forums..Technical terms differ in countries, for example, over in the UK, if you called someone 'mentally retarded', they would be extremely offended, and I'm always wary of offending.

I have a lot of friends who have 'special needs'. They don't seem any different to anyone else.

On the topic of intellect, I find a lot of 'special needs' people compensate in other subjects. My mother's old boss had dyslexia and found it very hard to read, but he was an incredible mathematician. Most 'special needs' people often excel in sciences or maths.

There's an unusual case in my history class though, where a guy with some type of autism excels at history and memorising things.

I'm curious as to your motive for creating this thread.