What makes Special Olympics so "special"?

Our family is involved in Special Olympics.  We are blesses to be part of this wonderful program.  Our son is an athlete and we have the honor of helping out, even some coaching now and then.  But what is Special Olympics and why is it so special?


Special Olympics is founded on the belief that people with intellectual disabilities can, with proper
instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy and benefit from participation in individual and team
sports. Special Olympics also believes that through millions of individual acts of inclusion where
people with and without intellectual disabilities are brought together, long-standing myths are
dispelled, negative attitudes changed and new opportunities to embrace and celebrate people
with intellectual disabilities are created.

History of Special Olympics

t all began in the early 1960s, when Eunice Kennedy Shriver saw how unjustly and unfairly people with intellectual disabilities were treated. She also saw that many children with special needs didn’t even have a place to play. She decided to take action.

Soon, her vision began to take shape, as she held a summer day camp for young people with intellectual disabilities in her own backyard. The goal was to learn what these children could do in sports and other activities – and not dwell on what they could not do. This vision eventually grew into the global Special Olympics movement.

First Steps. Eunice Kennedy Shriver guided children with intellectual disabilities into sports at her Camp Shriver events, which were the predecessor to Special Olympics.

19-20 July 1968

The 1st International Special Olympics Summer Games are held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA. 1,000 people with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. states and Canada compete in track and field and swimming.See a slideshow about the first Games

December 1971

The U.S. Olympic Committee gives Special Olympics official approval as one of only two organizations authorized to use the name “Olympics” in the United States.  

5-11 February 1977

Steamboat Springs, Colorado, hosts the 1st International Special Olympics Winter Games. More than 500 athletes compete in skiing and skating events. CBS, ABC and NBC television networks cover the Games. See a slideshow about Special Olympics World Games

June 1981

Wichita, Kansas (USA) Police Chief Richard LaMunyon launches a Special Olympics awareness campaign that becomes the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. The Torch Run grows into the movement's largest grassroots fundraiser, raising $30 million each year. 

September 1986

The United Nations launches the International Year of Special Olympics. The theme is “Special Olympics—Uniting the World.”  

October 1987

“A Very Special Christmas,” a benefit album featuring holiday music by top rock 'n' roll performers, is released worldwide. It is produced by Jimmy and Vicki Iovine of A&M Records and Bobby Shriver, with all earnings going to Special Olympics. More than 2 million records, compact discs and cassette tapes are sold. 

February 1988

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) signs a historic agreement with Sargent and Eunice Kennedy Shriver officially endorsing and recognizing Special Olympics.  

July 1988

Special Olympics Unified Sports® is launched at the annual Special Olympics Conference in Reno, Nevada, and Lake Tahoe, California. Bowling, volleyball and softball are the first sports included. 

20-27 March 1993

The 5th Special Olympics World Winter Games are hosted in Salzburg and Schladming, Austria. These are the first World Winter Games held outside North America.  See a slideshow about Special Olympics World Games

1-9 July 1995

Several new initiatives make their debut at the 9th Special Olympics World Summer Games. These include the Host Town Program, Healthy Athletes®, and Research and Policy Symposia. In addition, for the first time, people with intellectual disabilities serve as certified officials.

January 1997

Healthy Athletes becomes an official Special Olympics initiative, providing health-care services to Special Olympics athletes worldwide. The program includes free vision, hearing and dental screening, injury prevention clinics and nutrition education. Learn about Healthy Athletes

20 July 1998

Special Olympics celebrates its 30th anniversary with the introduction of the first Sargent Shriver International Global Messengers. These 12 remarkable men and women travel the world as spokespeople for the movement over a two-year term.

17 December 1998

U.S. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton host “A Very Special Christmas from Washington, D.C.” It's the first time the White House hosts a Special Olympics gala and the first time that artists from “A Very Special Christmas” album series gather together to perform. In 2000, President and Mrs. Clinton host “A Very Special Christmas” for the second time. Learn more about the record series

2000

The “Campaign for Special Olympics” sets unprecedented goals to increase athlete participation by 1 million and to raise more than $120 million over a five-year period. This global campaign changes the face of the Special Olympics movement.  

18-22 May 2000

As part of the “Campaign for Special Olympics,” actor Arnold Schwarzenegger joins Special Olympics athletes to light the Flame of Hope at the Great Wall of China. They launch the Special Olympics China Millennium March and begin the most ambitious growth campaign in the movement’s history. China pledges to increase its number of athletes from 50,000 to 500,000 by 2005.  

May 20-23 2001

The first-ever Global Athlete Congress takes place in The Hague, Netherlands. Special Olympics athletes from every region in the world come together to discuss the future of the Special Olympics movement. Despite differences in language, culture, age and gender they hold discussions, challenge existing ideas and vote on new resolutions.

The Unity Cup, 2010. The president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, right, competes with Special Olympics athletes and celebrity footballers in the Unity Cup, sponsored by Coca-Cola. 

12-14 July 2001

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Sun City, South Africa host Special Olympics African Hope. Former President Nelson Mandela, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Special Olympics athletes gather to light the Flame of Hope and kick off the largest Law Enforcement Torch Run through the streets of Cape Town. The event generates awareness of the movement throughout the continent. It also launches a major push to reach 100,000 new athletes in Africa by 2005.  

October 2001

Special Olympics develops and distributes So Get Into It® kits for students with and without disabilities to schools and teachers worldwide at no cost. They  teach young people about intellectual disabilities while empowering them to “be the difference.” The lessons highlight values of inclusion, acceptance and respect. 

19-20 July 2002

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund partners with Special Olympics to host an annual birthday celebration for its founder and chairperson, former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. The event also helps Special Olympics spotlight its Unified Sports® program.  

Ireland in 2003. The Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland, drew athletes with intellectual disabilities from countries scattered all around the world. 

21-29 June 2003

Ireland hosts the first Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held outside the United States. 5,500 athletes participate in this landmark event. It is the world's largest sporting event in 2003, capturing the hearts and imaginations of the Irish people.  See a slideshow about Special Olympics World Games

20 June 2003

Special Olympics releases “The Multinational Study of Attitudes toward Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.” It's the most comprehensive global study thorough ever on this subject. The report offers valuable insight into how people around the world view the roles and capabilities of persons with intellectual disabilities in the workplace, classroom and daily social life.

30 October 2004

U.S. President George W. Bush signs the “Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act."  This gives $15 million every year for five years to Special Olympics programs. The funding goes to  initiatives that encourage greater respect and understanding for people with intellectual disabilities. This marks the first time that Special Olympics secures support through legislation.

23 December 2005

"The Ringer," a Farrelly Brothers film starring Johnny Knoxville, opens in theaters throughout Canada and the United States. The film includes appearances from more than 150 Special Olympics athletes. Its producers work with Special Olympics to challenge destructive stereotypes and negative thinking about people with intellectual disabilities.  

2006

Special Olympics surpasses its goal of doubling the number of athletes that participate worldwide to 2.5 million participants. With sports at the core, the movement stands as a leader in advancing rights and opportunities and policy change for its athletes in 165 countries worldwide.

10 June 2006

U.S. President and Mrs. George W. Bush host a tribute dinner at the White House to honor Special Olympics for its unprecedented growth over the past five years. The event also celebrates the 86th birthday of founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver.  

October 2007

The city of Shanghai, China, hosts the 12th Special Olympics World Summer Games. The Games are broadcast internationally on a vast scale. Participation is at a record high -- bringing together  more than 7,500 athletes from 164 countries participating. See a slideshow about Special Olympics World Games

July 2008

Special Olympics celebrates its 40th anniversary as a true global movement, with nearly 3 million athletes in more than 180 countries.  

February 2009

The Special Olympics World Winter Games in Boise, Idaho, USA, draws nearly 2,000 athletes from close to 100 countries . U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visits and declares special needs advocacy "a civil rights movement."See stories from the 2009 Games

May 2009

The U.S. National Portrait Gallery unveils a historic portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The painting is the first portrait the Gallery has ever commissioned of an individual who has not served as a U.S. President or First Lady. 

11 August 2009

The founder of Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, dies at her family home in Massachusetts. Letters and messages celebrating her contribution to humanity poured in from world leaders and ordinary people around the world. See www.eunicekennedyshriver.org

November 2009

"A Very Special Christmas 7" is released, infusing the Christmas record series with the energy and talent of a new generation of music stars. See www.veryspecialchristmas.org. 

June 2010

The first Special Olympics Global Congress is held in Marrakech, Morocco. Hundreds of Special Olympics leaders from around the world gather to chart the next five years of work. See a slideshow about the Congress 

2010's Eunice Kennedy Shriver Challenge. Held in Washington, D.C., it was a daylong celebration of sport in honor of Special Olympics' founder featured running, walking and biking events plus music and games. 

September 2010

The first global Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day is held in more than 100 countries to celebrate the vision of the founder of Special Olympics. The event also aims to increase the momentum of the Special Olympics movement. See photos from the day. 

October 2010

Officials announce that the next Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in PyeongChang, Korea, on 29 January-6 February 2013.

January 2011

The Special Olympics movement mourns the death of Sargent Shriver, husband of late founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. He was also a longtime Special Olympics President and Chairman of the Board Emeritus.  

June-July 2011

The 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games are held in Athens, Greece. Nearly 7,000 athletes from 170 countries take part.  

September 2011

Officials announce that the next Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held in the United States for the first time in 16 years. Los Angeles, California is set to host the Summer Games in July 2015.

Be gentle.

Just the facts

Just the facts about Down Syndrome.

Sometimes we need a refresher.  Just an objective look.

From the National Down Syndrome Society Web Site.

Down Syndrome Fact Sheet

• Down syndrome occurs when some or all of a person’s cells have an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.      • Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition. One in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome.      • There are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States.       • Down syndrome occurs in people of all races and economic levels.       • The incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother. But due to higher fertility rates in younger women, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.        • People with Down syndrome have an increased risk for certain medical conditions such as congenital heart defects, respiratory and hearing problems, Alzheimer's disease, childhood leukemia, and thyroid conditions. Many of these conditions are now treatable, so most people with Down syndrome lead healthy lives.       • A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes, and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. Every person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees or not at all.      • Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades - from 25 in 1983 to 60 today.       • People with Down syndrome attend school, work, participate in decisions that affect them, and contribute to society in many wonderful ways. • All people with Down syndrome experience cognitive delays, but the effect is usually mild to moderate and is not indicative of the many strengths and talents that each individual possesses.      • Quality educational programs, a stimulating home environment, good health care, and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to develop their full potential and lead fulfilling lives.      • Researchers are making great strides in identifying the genes on Chromosome 21 that cause the characteristics of Down syndrome. Many feel strongly that it will be possible to improve, correct or prevent many of the medical concerns associated with Down syndrome in the future.

Be gentle.

Ethics, making money, and Down Syndrome

Parents all want the perfect pregnancy and a perfect child.  What is perfect?  Why is perfect important?  Is being perfect the most important thing?  Is peer pressure to have that perfect child so influential that some one would be willing to end their pregnancy?  Are companies more concerned with making money than actually caring about the parents and unborn babies?


I do not think potential parents are given enough information when faced with a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome or other potential disability.  When we were given the prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome for our son, the first thing the doctor asked was "Do you want to terminate this sick baby?"  We did not go out looking to get a prenatal screening.  We declined the testing when it was offered at the regular time that prenatal testing is done during a pregnancy.  An abnormality was found during a routine ultrasound while we were pregnant was discovered.  We had prenatal testing to determine what was causing the abnormality.  We were given our diagnosis.  And in the next breath, the doctor asked if we wanted to terminate.......  What, no discussion, education about Down Syndrome.  Just get rid of the sick baby.  WOW.  How many other parents are given the option of terminating before any other options are discussed?


We did not give termination one thought.  We wanted to know what we could do to keep both of our beautiful babies healthy.  We came out fighting from the moment of our diagnosis.  Fighting for the rights of our sons.  


Lately in the news, new testing for Down Syndrome have been making a splash in the prenatal market.  And companies are makes lots and lots of money off of this testing.  And more companies are jumping into the screening market.  With prenatal screening should come the responsibility of education of parents given a diagnosis of a child with a disability.

Sequenom Increases Expected Billings for MaterniT21 Plus to 40,000 in 2012

April 16, 2012

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Sequenom today raised its estimates for the number of billed MateriT21 Plus tests for 2012 to 40,000 as adoption of the test accelerated during the first quarter.

The San Diego-based firm had previously forecast 25,000 billings for the non-invasive fetal aneuploidy test for the year.

In the first quarter, Sequenom saw more than 12,700 total tests, including more than 4,900 MaterniT21 Plus tests, accessioned in Q1, it said. Based on the volume processed during the last week of the quarter, the annualized run rate for MaterniT21 Plus would be more than 30,000 tests.

Sequenom Chairman and CEO Harry Hixson said that the firm's lab, the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, has seen samples received and billed in early 2012 increase weekly.

"We expect this trend to continue with Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine's sustained commercial efforts throughout the year and have increased the internal goal to reflect our optimistic outlook," he said in a statement.

Sequenom's first-quarter earnings are scheduled for release after the close of the market on May 3.

In early Monday trade on the Nasdaq, shares of Sequenom were up 10 percent at $4.39.

Sequenom Inks Deal with MultiPlan to Include MaterniT21 Plus Test

April 19, 2012

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Sequenom today announced an expanded agreement with healthcare cost management firm MultiPlan to include the MaterniT21 Plus LDT test for fetal aneuploidies.

As a result of the deal, MultiPlan's network of 900,000 providers will have access to Sequenom's test for trisomy 21, 18, and 13. The test was launched in October.

One of Sequenom's goals for 2012 is to sign two major national insurers as well as smaller payors in order to drive up adoption of the test. Earlier this week, the companyincreased its estimates for the number of billed MaterniT21 tests to 40,000 in 2012, up from a previous forecast of 25,000.

Early prenatal test raises ethical questions

February 22, 2012 11:09 AM

By

Erica Hil

l

Prenatal testing has turned into an unlikely campaign issue. Presidential candidate Rick Santorum said this week that some tests, in his words, "encourage abortions."

Santorum stands by prenatal screening opposition

"CBS This Morning" took a look at a new test that reveals birth abnormalities at a much earlier stage. The test is sure to give many more pregnant women and their families a lot to think about.

Recent advancements in genetics have helped doctors develop a safer test for Down syndrome than amniocentesis, an invasive procedure that can identify many genetic disorders but can also result in miscarriage.

The new test, called the MaterniT21, can be administered at just 10 weeks and is nearly 100 percent accurate. The test works by analyzing the mother's blood and counts fragments from the fetus's DNA to identify the presence of an extra chromosome, which can signify Down syndrome.

According to Dr. Brian Skotoko, a medical geneticist at Children's Hospital Boston, this is the beginning of a new era of prenatal screening.

"There is no risk to the fetus - a simple blood drop from your arm. This new test raises a provocative question of how much do we test for and do we as a society draw the line?" Skotoko told CBS News.

Expectant parents are routinely offered prenatal testing for various genetic disorders -- not just Down syndrome. The tests may lead to more difficult decisions for many parents.

Melanie McLaughlin, a mother who decided to go through with her pregnancy following a test that indicated her baby would have Downs syndrome, said of the latest test, "If it's not for Down syndrome what is it for? Is it for homosexuality? Is it for breast cancer? Is it for Alzheimer's? Is it for, you know, autism? Because you're going to need to ask those questions, because they're coming."

The earlier testing means mothers are going to be challenged with a decision earlier in their pregnancies, Dr. Paul Root Wolpe, director of the Center for Ethics at Emory University, said on "CBS This Morning."

"If they do choose to terminate the pregnancy, it will be a less complicated procedure," Wolpe said. "... More and more women are going to be facing tough decisions as this test and similar tests are developed."

Research from the U.K. suggests that for most women -- more than 90 percent studied -- would have an abortion if she knew she were having a baby with Down syndrome.

"Do you think this could lead to a world without Down Syndrome kids," Gayle King asked.

Wolpe said it's unlikely. In the U.S., that statistic on women aborting over Down syndrome may be lower.

"Some women will not get the test, other women choose...not to abort even though they have the information," Wolpe said. "... I don't think that we're going to end up, at least in the foreseeable future, in a world without kids with Down syndrome, and many parents, I think actually take the path (of not aborting) and end up very glad they did."

What are your thoughts?

It is a blog hop today.
http://downwitdat.blogspot.com/

Be gentle.

Down Syndrome reads.........

Lots and lots of books out there for parents and children, but what if you want to find more scholarly info?  I started a search and came up with A LOT of books out there.  I would love to add them all to my library, if only I was a millionaire.  LOL.  Maybe slowly?  I just love books.

I ordered one on Amazon after reading a review in Lancet.  The title is "Downs, the History of a Disability."  I will let you know what I think after I read it.

The review in Lancet states that the book is more a history of social views on Down Syndrome.  I am looking forward to reading it.

The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9825, Page 1478, 21 April 2012
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60619-9

Missing from history

Tom Shakespeare 

19 prominent doctors wrote to The Lancet on April 8, 1961, advocating that the term “mongolism” be abandoned. It was the then Editor of this journal who chose “Down's syndrome”, which David Wright calls “the least descriptive—and perhaps the most conservative—of the five alternatives proposed”.

Histories of disability are important because they document how disability is not simply a biomedical phenomenon, but is something that is deeply shaped by cultural ideas, by social arrangements, and by social values. The implication is that the lives of people with disabilities could be different—and better—if only society was more inclusive and supportive.

Naively, I came to Downs: the History of a Disability hoping to learn about the lives of affected individuals in earlier centuries. But, of course, the lives of millions of people with Down syndrome have disappeared from sight, not because they were unimportant to their families and communities, but because they left no trace in the historical record. We cannot even draw conclusions about what Wright calls the “prehistory of Down syndrome”. Were the centuries before the arrival of medical labelling and special education a utopian age of acceptance and diversity? Or, more likely, were people with Down syndrome neglected, abandoned, and left to die?

Instead, this book offers us a history of social responses to the condition. The turning point was the 1840s, with the emergence of the mantra that “the idiot could be educated”. The heroes were reformers like Edward Séguin in France and Dorothy Dix in the USA, who fought to get people with intellectual disabilities out of prisons and workhouses, and into specialist schools and institutions where (in theory) they would be supported and protected. In England, the alienist John Conolly campaigned for specialist provision such as the Royal Earlswood Asylum in Redhill. It was here in 1858 that the young doctor John Langdon Down began his work.

More than 150 years earlier, John Locke had found “idiots” useful evidence for his claim that the human mind was a tabula rasa. In 1866, in an era obsessed with racial difference, Down identified a subgroup of his patients whom he claimed represented the reversion of Caucasians to earlier racial types: the “Mongol” was an example of atavism. Wildly wrong in his theory, Down had nevertheless for the first time correctly demarcated the syndrome that later was to bear his name. Perhaps the conclusion he drew—about the unity of the human species—was less racist than critics have suggested. However, in his practice at Earlswood, he demonstrated the fascination with diagnosing and classifying that modern advocates have denounced as unhelpful to the inclusion of children and adults with intellectual disability. Wright describes how, in 1868, Down resigned from his post under suspicion of corruption, going on to found a lucrative private institution which he ran with his wife. By extraordinary coincidence, his son Reginald's only son Jonathan was born with the syndrome.

Debates raged in the late 19th century about aetiology. Parental alcoholism, endocrine malfunction, tuberculosis, syphilis, brain damage, and uterine exhaustion were all blamed. This last idea, reflecting the observation that it was often late-born children who had the condition, came closest to the truth. In the early 20th century, hereditarian explanations began to predominate, again reflecting wider intellectual fashions. By 1949, the meticulous investigations of Lionel Penrose had confirmed the role of maternal age and laid the foundations of scientific understanding of the syndrome.

I learned much from this history: from the irony of Jérôme Lejeune (the Catholic doctor who took the credit for the discovery of trisomy 21) campaigning against selective termination, to the strange notion of trying to use Marmite as a dietary supplement to remedy the condition. Wright's book explores far more than could be discussed in a brief review: eugenics, intelligence testing, cytogenetics, social policy, normalisation, deinstitutionalisation, and changing cultural representations. While context is important, Wright too often slips from the specific to the general. For example, the discussion of Nazi euthanasia does not include Down syndrome statistics or life stories. Perhaps the book would have been better cast as a history of intellectual disability, with Down syndrome as a particular case study.

Notwithstanding this quibble, Wright has provided a fluently written account that offers an excellent historical introduction to the continuing tension between the inclusion and the elimination of people with disabilities: 150 years after Down's description, prospects of a cure remain remote, while the trend towards later motherhood means that the prevalence of the condition has barely dipped, despite amniocentesis.

Here is a few of the books I have found.  Have you read any of them?  What are your thoughts on how truthfully the concepts are presented?

Be gentle.

Young researcher looking at perceptions of Down Syndrome in young children

A young researcher is looking at how young children perceive people with Down Syndrome.  Seeing this young lady's research makes me excited that we have a new generation of researchers and scientists that want to support and educate about Down Syndrome.  How exciting!

Please enjoy this story about Sayoni Saha and her innovative research.

Researcher, 17, conducts Down syndrome study

By COURTNEY PERKES / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The young researcher smiles warmly at a teenage girl with Down syndrome, inviting her to a pretend birthday party that the researcher has spent two years meticulously planning.

The video from inside a UC Irvine research lab captures two other guests – dolls, wearing the same light blue outfits with matching brunette ponytails. But one of the dolls has so-called typical features, while the other has the features of Down syndrome.

In an animated voice, Sayoni Saha asks the girl to feed the dolls bites of Play-Doh cake and wipe their faces clean. Next, she asks a series of questions about which doll is the prettiest, the smartest, the most popular. Which doll does the girl like best?

The girl picks up both dolls for a closer look before choosing the typical doll for the majority of positive traits.

"She's loving and caring," the girl says of why the typical doll has more friends.

Such questions of self-concept in children with Down syndrome have never been studied before, according to Eric Doran, manager of the Down Syndrome Program at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

But even more remarkable, is that Saha, the researcher, is 17, the same age as some of her study participants.

"This is graduate student level work, and she's doing it in high school," Doran said.

This week, Saha, a senior at Whitney High in Cerritos, will travel to Washington, D.C., as one of 40 finalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search competition, which has produced future winners of the Nobel Prize and National Medals of Science. She will present her project, "A doll that looks like me: A study of self-concept in children with Down syndrome." She spent more than 300 hours over three years working on the project.

"It's important to recognize these kids are capable of making self-appraisals and judgments about themselves," Saha said.

At 14, Saha became the youngest intern in the Down syndrome program, which largely focuses on medical research, particularly the increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. She started helping with clinical trials, but soon came up with her own idea for a behavioral study.

In a magazine, she had seen dolls with the features of Down syndrome – almond eyes, a flatter nose and even a spread between the big toe and the other toes. She wondered how the children she was working with would feel about them.

UCI doctors and staff, who were busy with their own research, volunteered their time to help Saha embark on her idea.

"The challenge for us was she had a passion for research and interest in a topic we knew nothing about," Doran said. "We felt compelled to try to help her."

Saha applied for university funding, receiving about $6,000 for the project. She met with a psychologist to help best phrase the questions. She had to arrange for a special order of dolls from their European manufacturer, so they would be the same size with the same hairstyles and outfits.

Finally, she started her research last summer by staging the pretend birthday party scenario for 41 children, ages 4 to 17. Girls were given girl dolls, while boys played with the set of boy dolls.

"It never felt like work," Saha said. "It was a lot of fun. It wasn't just analyzing data."

Some children were quite aware of the differences between the dolls' appearance. Saha recalled one girl who, when asked which doll has the most friends, pointed to the typical doll. She said that was because the other doll has Down syndrome. Other participants never said the name of their condition, but mentioned that the Down syndrome doll was teased.

"It was definitely very hard for me to hear," Saha said. "I'd always seen these kids as being extremely optimistic and happy and some of the sweetest people I'd ever met. It was hard."

The study is ongoing, but preliminary results found that the participants associated the most positive attributes with the typical doll and showed an overwhelming preference for that doll. Close to half of the children identified that they looked most like the Down syndrome doll rather than the typical doll. Saha's results will eventually be submitted to a journal for possible publication.

Linda Beutel's 14-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, most identified with the typical doll during the session. At home, she enjoys playing with American Girl dolls with her younger sister.

"I saw it as very interesting that she didn't see herself as looking like the doll with Down syndrome," Beutel said. "That's not how she perceives herself. She perceives herself like everyone else and looking like everyone else."

Beutel, who lives in Irvine, said Saha easily developed a warm rapport with her daughter.

"I found it fascinating that a high school girl was putting the study together," she said. "Her maturity and thinking it through was just really impressive to me."

As a finalist, Saha has already won an $8,500 scholarship and will compete for up to $100,000. The top prize will be announced Tuesday.

Saha, who missed one question on the SAT, has applied to Harvard University and a number of other Ivy League schools.

Saha's biology teacher, Aileen Perry, described Saha as inquisitive, articulate and humble.

"She's just impressive as a person and as a scientist," Perry said. "I'm really excited to see where she's going to go."

Saha was born in India, but lived in Singapore until she was 11. She's the only child of a telecommunications executive and an accountant. She plays the viola in the Orange County Youth Symphony. She's also active in speech and debate as well as Model UN. She averages about four hours of sleep a night.

So which doll does Saha like best? The Down syndrome doll or the typical doll?

"There's no way I could decide," she said. "I guess I would be a data point I would have to throw out."

For more information about Down syndrome research in development and aging at UC Irvine and Children's Hospital of Orange County, call 714-456-8443.

Contact the writer: Twitter: @cperkes 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com

Be gentle.