How come there's fewer handicapped kids around these days?

Rabidlamb

I brought the kids to the playground last night, one of the mothers had a mildly handicapped child who needed assistance but was really enjoying himself.
What struck me is how few handicapped children I see nowadays in comparison to growing up in the late 70's, early 80's.
Are they less visible due to special needs schooling taking them out of the general populace ?.
Are parents more embarrassed than their previous generations to be seen in public with them ?.
Are there less children being born with abnormalities due to better diets & supplements taken by the mothers ?.

Maybe it's just my perception but I took a double take last night as it's been that long since I noticed a child with a handicap.
Has anyone else noticed this ?.

wobbles-grogan

Less No use of those horrible tongs during birth maybe?

Seachmall

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Are they less visible due to special needs schooling taking them out of the general populace ?.

This, although I would have worded it less sinisterly.

Nothingbetter2d

Rabidlamb wrote: »

I brought the kids to the playground last night, one of the mothers had a mildly handicapped child who needed assistance but was really enjoying himself.
What struck me is how few handicapped children I see nowadays in comparison to growing up in the late 70's, early 80's.
Are they less visible due to special needs schooling taking them out of the general populace ?.
Are parents more embarrassed than their previous generations to be seen in public with them ?.
Are there less children being born with abnormalities due to better diets & supplements taken by the mothers ?.

Maybe it's just my perception but I took a double take last night as it's been that long since I noticed a child with a handicap.
Has anyone else noticed this ?.

with better medical intervention some disabled babies can be cured while still in the womb... Also women are alot more aware of what to eat and what supplements they need to take while pregnant than they were in the 70's which can prevent things such as spinabifida. Also polio was more common during the 70's than it is today.

stupidusername

Can't say I noticed them one way or another. but I suppose if there is a noticeable difference, it'd be because they're going to special needs schools. Can't imagine it's anything else.

wobbles-grogan

wobbles-grogan wrote: »

Less No use of those horrible thongs during birth maybe?

why would anyone wear a thong during birth

shopaholic01

A lot of cases were a result of women having children later in life, contraception can now prevent that. A lot of these pregnancies probably end quietly in abortion too.

Scioch

bluewolf wrote: »

why would anyone wear a thong during birth

To strain the handicap out obviously.

shopaholic01

bluewolf wrote: »

why would anyone wear a thong during birth

To look sexy for the doc;)

wobbles-grogan

bluewolf wrote: »

why would anyone wear a thong during birth

Fixed it! Stupid spelling...

skinny90

stupidusername wrote: »

Can't say I noticed them one way or another. but I suppose if there is a noticeable difference, it'd be because they're going to special needs schools. Can't imagine it's anything else.

That's why,my mother worked in cregg house for 30 odd years an now works in the school,they have families moving to Sligo because of the facilities/care etc

wobbles-grogan

wobbles-grogan wrote: »

Fixed it! Stupid spelling...

Oh sorry I wasn't correcting it, I just had no idea what you were talking about
lol
off to wash my eyes out with bleach

OP obviously hasn't been to Louth in a while.

TeddyTedson

There seems to be a lot more
Mental problems these days though. When I worked at my last job I saw lots of disabled kids. They're still out there

PlainP

You never see handicapped travellers???

Whats up with that, are they immune to having special needs children??

Scioch

TeddyTedson wrote: »

There seems to be a lot more
Mental problems these days though. When I worked at my last job I saw lots of disabled kids. They're still out there

Well bring em in for fcuk sake !!!

rKossi

PlainP wrote: »

You never see handicapped travellers???

Whats up with that, are they immune to having special needs children??

Me and my m8s were talking about that the other week
Wtf is up with that I think they are immune

mikemac1

handicapped, that's just not on OP

Differently abled

dsmythy

PlainP wrote: »

You never see handicapped travellers???

Whats up with that, are they immune to having special needs children??

They take the Spartan approach to children*

*barefaced lie

Chucken

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=78722834&postcount=211

:rolleyes:

SEPT 23 1989

Amniocentesis

PlainP

dsmythy wrote: »

They take the Spartan approach to children*

*barefaced lie

I did hear some awful rumours on what they do with such children but would not post them here as rumours are just vile and usually not true........

Babybuff

rKossi wrote: »

Me and my m8s were talking about that the other week
Wtf is up with that I think they are immune

I worked with plenty of traveller kids with disabilities.

Ellis Dee

It's an interesting point the OP brings up. Maybe it just has to do with better health care, improved screening services, more responsible family planning ...

It reminds me of my earliest visits to the Soviet Union in the early 1970s, only 25 years after the "Great Patriotic War". Given the scale of the carnage during that conflict, you'd have expected to see severely handicapped people everywhere. But there were none, and wheelchair access was non-existent as well. It soon became clear that handicapped people were kept well out of sight in institutions or their homes. Go figure.:rolleyes:

Rabidlamb

mikemac1 wrote: »

handicapped, that's just not on OP

Differently abled

You can do nothing these days without upsetting some PC mob.
I always thought special needs was demeaning too.

Immaculate Pasta

Go to any public library on a weekday morning and there's loads of them knocking about. :cool:

smash

2 words: Sweat Shops.

Abi

I read the title "how come there are fewer kidnapped kids these days"

Im broken.

shopaholic01

smash wrote: »

2 words: Sweat Shops.

No, they're far too slow for that.

up for anything

I don't think that there are less or even more. I think a lot of the people that would have been regarded as 'handicapped' either physically or mentally back in the 70s are now mainstreamed and therefore 'attract less attention'.

Zebra3

Rabidlamb wrote: »

What struck me is how few handicapped children I see nowadays in comparison to growing up in the late 30's, early 40's.

There's your answer...

Sindri

They grew up and became adults.

Napper Hawkins

Abortion.

hightower1

Zebra3 wrote: »

There's your answer...

Perhaps this is the reason?


<runs >

goose2005

Sarah Palin was right! Death panels!

stovelid

Thread subject is a bit of a downer.

Funfair

PlainP wrote: »

You never see handicapped travellers???

Whats up with that, are they immune to having special needs children??

I believe it's some sort of dishonor on a traveler family to have a handicapped child and they hand the child up for adoption at birth.

Then again I also heard it’s because traveler girls usually give birth very young and therefore have less chance of having handicapped children.

Take your pick ^

up for anything

PlainP wrote: »

I did hear some awful rumours on what they do with such children but would not post them here as rumours are just vile and usually not true........

Well done on promulgating that vile rumuor. :rolleyes:

admiralofthefleet

cause ice cream is so expensive

PlainP

Funfair wrote: »

I believe it's some sort of dishonor on a traveler family to have a handicapped child and they hand the child up for adoption at birth.

Then again I also heard it’s because traveler girls usually give birth very young and therefore have less chance of having handicapped children.

Take your pick ^

I'll take the latter...

up for anything wrote: »

Well done on *promulgating that vile rumuor. :rolleyes:

Had to look *promulgating up (nice word)

I never mentioned any rumours so could not be declaring anything (if I understand that word properly)

forfuxsake

I'm just shocked that the OP said fewer rather than less. Well done you!

Gyalist

Funfair wrote: »

I believe it's some sort of dishonor on a traveler family to have a handicapped child and they hand the child up for adoption at birth.

Then again I also heard it’s because traveler girls usually give birth very young and therefore have less chance of having handicapped children.

Take your pick ^

Not quite correct. While older mothers have a higher risk of having a disabled child, most disabled children are born to younger women simply because more younger women give birth.

More specifically regarding Travellers, it wouldn't surprise me if the incidence of disability is higher as they marry more or less within a closed circle.

up for anything

PlainP wrote: »

Had to look *promulgating up (nice word)

I never mentioned any rumours so could not be declaring anything (if I understand that word properly)

It's good isn't it - make known by public declaration. That you posted the fact of the rumours means you are spreading them. I'd never heard that before and now it's one of the things I will associate with Travellers despite trying to forget it.

Mrmoe

Gyalist wrote: »

Not quite correct. While older mothers have a higher risk of having a disabled child, most disabled children are born to younger women simply because more younger women give birth.

More specifically regarding Travellers, it wouldn't surprise me if the incidence of disability is higher as they marry more or less within a closed circle.

Not necessarily so, in some cases it can be benefical. I remember reading somewhere that having kids with your third cousin can be the most optimal combination of breeding partners.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Mrmoe wrote: »

Gyalist wrote: »

Not quite correct. While older mothers have a higher risk of having a disabled child, most disabled children are born to younger women simply because more younger women give birth.

More specifically regarding Travellers, it wouldn't surprise me if the incidence of disability is higher as they marry more or less within a closed circle.

Not necessarily so, in some cases it can be benefical. I remember reading somewhere that having kids with your third cousin can be the most optimal combination of breeding partners.

Hmm was this from a third cousin that was trying to get off with you?

Mrmoe

Cuchulainn1. wrote: »

Hmm was this from a third cousin that was trying to get off with you?

My sexy third cousin that is. Shelbyville Manhattan had the right idea.:D

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23052835/#.T7vlX1Jv7uY

Couples who are third or fourth cousins tend to have more kids and grandkids than other couples. And though considered somewhat of a cultural taboo, mating between "kissing cousins" makes good biological sense, say scientists.

Grimebox

What a retarded thread

BattleCorp

Mrmoe wrote: »

Not necessarily so, in some cases it can be benefical. I remember reading somewhere that having kids with your third cousin can be the most optimal combination of breeding partners.

I didn't think that they went as far away as third cousins when they were breeding

Rabidlamb

Napper Hawkins wrote: »

Abortion.

Combination of factors but I'd not rule this out as a contributor.
I remember a study from one of the Scandinavian countries where Down Syndrome is a fraction of what it was in the past due to this main factor.
Google is letting me down.

Vsolid

really guys!! We are still so far behind where we think we are in society (tut tut tut)

grow up

Knasher

Serious answer but I'd put it down to vaccines, the virtual eradication of polio from western countries and the MMR vaccine especially. Rubella (which is the R in MMR) can lead to congenital rubella syndrome if a mother contracts it while she is pregnant. And CRS has a whole range of major birth defects associated with it.

I'd imagine this is something we will see more of as the anti-vaccine movement seems to be only growing and peoples memory of what the pre-vaccine era fades away, at least until we get a serious outbreak of a preventable disease.