Instead of screaming at John McCain to learn the difference between autism and down syndrome, I decided to put up an illustrated guide to gimpiness, so he and all of America can Better Know Your Gimps!
Autism
Autism is a brain development disorder that makes it difficult to interact and associate with the world around you. Interestingly, many autistic people are savants in one field or another. One autistic child I knew as a kid had perfect memory. Sam, the main character of my comic book, is thought to autistic.
Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that can have varying degrees of cognitive impairment and is visually presented in the facial structure of the individual. Many people with DS have pretty normal, functional lives, including several I know. Down Syndrome is what Trig Palin has. It has been my experience that people with Down Syndrome - especially children - are the most happy, well-adjusted, loving and accepting people you will ever meet.
Cerebral Palsey
Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term used to refer to a number of different birth defects that impact the cerebrum and can cause movement difficulties throughout the body. I often get mistaken for having CP, which I do not, and my very first girlfriend - in pre-school - had cerebral palsy. CP has no mental or cognitive effects.
Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular Dystrophy covers a range of different genetic, hereditary muscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and, in some cases, death. My closest friend at summer camp as a child, Ian, had a fatal version of MD, and several other people I have known with it have also passed away. People with Muscular Dystrophy are what we know as Jerry's kids. I am also sometimes mistaken as having MD.
Arthrogryposis
This is what I have. Arthrogryposis is a birth defect that impacts the joints and extremities in-utero and results in bent, sometimes tubular-looking limbs, twisted hands and feet and lack of muscle in the joints, leaving them locked and limited. Because it physically shares similarities with a number of other birth defects, it is often mistaken for them. Little known fact - people with Arthrogryposis often have above-average IQ.
So there you have a brief look at some of the major "Special Needs" disabilities. Obviously, the blind and deaf are among this community, but I was wanting to deal with these in the hopes that Senator McCain might actually have a clue next time he spouts off about them.