Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, Median and Mode
Life As We Know It: Book Analysis
1. LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
By Michael Berube (1996)
KORRIE TEFFS AND KELLY GUTHRIE
2. ….WHAT IS DOWN SYNDROME........................................................................
According to the Mayo Clinic, Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome
due to abnormal cell division resulting in extra genetic material from chromosome 21. The child may
have a distinct facial appearance, intellectual disability, developmental delays.
What does this mean for the child socially?
Despite advances in understandings and management of Down Syndrome, the condition is still
associated with stigma. Historically, people with Down Syndrome were removed from general society and
were institutionalized. It was not until the mid 19oos when parents, physicians, researchers, and
organizations began supporting people with this condition through efforts to change the way people with
Down Syndrome and other disorders were treated and viewed by society. Today, children with Down
Syndrome are being more so integrated with other children in schools, as well as efforts in society to
bring more awareness to the condition and to help aging people with the condition to be integrated into
the workforce and other parts of society as a whole.
3. ...SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………...
● Michael Berube and Janet Lyon are both English professors who initially had one extremely
intellectually bright child, Nick, and another son on the way
● Doctors give the option of an abortion as many parents opt to do so when tests show signs of
chromosomal abnormalities, Michael and Janet are willing to take their chances (disabled
children can be productive citizens!)
● Jamie is born in 1991 with Down Syndrome & Janet helps Michael come to the conclusion that
they will try and raise Jamie “normal” as they did with their other son, Nick
● A few years into Jamie’s life, Michael begins to explain how Jamie does not know how life will be as
he grows up (busy intersection) and Michael begins to question on what basis society values an
individual
4. ...SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………...
● The family endures countless doctors and other professionals that considered Jamie stuck within
societal boundaries-- they are afraid that people will see Jamie as less of an individual and more
as a subgroup
● Berube explores different developmental stages of his son’s life and compares them to children
without “disabilities” which shifts his outlook on children with Down Syndrome
● Despite being a literature professor, Michael took it upon himself to search for the biological basis
of what makes his son so different from the general population of the world and why people will
treat him different based on this.
5. ...SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………...
The book is laid out through the father’s “in-the-moment” perspective of his
changing thoughts and ideas of how Down Syndrome affects not only their
family, but his son in society in general.
6. ...CONNECTIONS TO SOCIAL WORK ……………………………...
NASW CODE OF ETHICS
● The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well being,
while helping to meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to
the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in
poverty”.
● Social workers promote social justice and social change.
So, do you think that people with Down Syndrome are those who need to particular
attention by social workers? Why?
7. ...CONNECTIONS TO SOCIAL WORK …………………………………………...
● According to the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, their
core values of the profession consist of:
○ Service
○ Social Justice
○ Dignity and Worth of the Person
○ Importance of Human Relationships
○ Integrity
○ Competence
So, do the core values of the social work profession align with serving people with Down
Syndrome? In which ways do you think they could help?
8. ...CONNECTIONS TO SOCIAL WORK …………………………………………...
What can social workers do for people with Down Syndrome?
● Social work as a human service profession takes on roles to provide services to children
with Down Syndrome and their family in many ways:
○ help parents identify strategies to manage stress and deal with their emotions of
raising a child with Down Syndrome
○ Help answer questions and provide education about the diagnosis
○ Teach parents about the services and resources that are available for their family
and their child
○ Provide resources on how parents can seek help for practical needs, such as
financial problems
○ Help link parents to available agencies and organizations
○ Advocate for the needs of families and children with Down Syndrome
9. According to our notes, social justice is a process and a goal; full and equal participation of all groups in society that
is mutually shaped to meet their needs; distribution of resources is equitable and all members are physically and
psychologically safe and secure; agency and social responsibility.
“Jamie has no idea what a busy intersection he’s landed in: statues, allocations, genetics, reproduction,
representation --all meeting at the crossroads of individual idiosyncrasy and sociopolitical construction. “Value”
may be something that can only be determined socially, by collective and chaotic human deliberation; but
individuals like James are compelling us daily to determine what kind of “individuality” we will value, on what
terms, and why.” (pg. xix)
Throughout the book, Berube weighs in on how disability is a human construction and it is up to society to decide
what is normal based on their political, ethical, and economic agendas specifically. Berube discusses how disabled
children are educated differently within schools through basing their education on their physical and mental
abilities. It is evident that Berube is fighting for social justice not only for his son, but also for all people with Down
Syndrome.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
10. Oppression results in disadvantages for subordinate groups and advantages for privileged groups.
“What does it mean to have the technological capacity to care for the ‘disabled’ without the political will to do so?
What does it mean that we have developed a society in which people with Down Syndrome can flourish as
never before (thanks to antibiotics, modern surgery, and/or early intervention programs) but in which they are
too often denied the chance to flourish?...I fear this above all: that children like James will eventually be seen as
‘luxuries’ employers and insurance companies cannot afford, or as ‘luxuries’ the nation or the planet cannot
afford (p. 53).”
Berube explains how people with Down Syndrome have many resources to help become
“normal” members of society, yet society still oppresses this population by placing them in a
subgroup. The ignorance and the lack of efforts to integrate people with this condition has
perpetuated deemed them as an oppressed group on the individual, institutional, and
social/cultural levels.
OPPRESSION
11. ….EVALUATION OF BOOK..................................................................................
Recommend? Yes!
● This book is remarkable in explaining from Berube’s in-the-moment perspective on
justifying the normalcy of his son as being recognized as a human-being and trying to
figure out why society views him differently. Berube’s argument on this led the reader
to take steps alongside his thought process to analyze how James’ biological makeup
has made him unique, as well as how society’s view of his biology has made him an
oppressed group.
Controversy
● Through the book, it could be said that Berube is controversial due to his political views
on how to help families and people with Down Syndrome, as well as what people need
to do in general. His views on abortion and prenatal testing are large issues today and it
was interesting to see his viewpoint on it from being published in 1996.
