Teacher reports six-year-old Muslim boy with Down's Syndrome to police for 'terrorism'

[Soph0571]

A supply teacher's call to police about a six-year-old Muslim boy with Down’s Syndrome led to his family being investigated for terrorism.

Officers launched the probe after six-year-old Mohammad Suleiman allegedly kept repeating the words “Allah” and “boom” class.

His parents from the Texan city of Pearland, around 20 miles south of Houston, have claimed this cannot be true because “he doesn’t speak at all” and has “the mental capacity of a one-year-old.”

[link:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tecaher-pearland-texas-reports-muslim-boy-terrorism-a8088751.html|

Oh look...Texas!

[dembotoz]

1. Kid sped teacher would be thrilled if the child became verbal

Brings up one of my more favorite rants. The expectation that this child will be brought up to grade level.

[d_r]

2. I wish that people in the UK

Would stop using "Down's Syndrome" instead of "Down Syndrome."

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Like "Alzheimer's disease", "Huntington's disease/chorea", "Parkinson's disease"

and many more, it has been traditional to use the possessive.

[d_r]

19. in the US

NIH guidelines since the 70s are "Down Syndrome." That is why it is confusing because the US and UK have different conventions.

ETA this leads to many American students incorrectly writing "Downs Syndrome."

[hedda_foil]

4. It's named after a Dr Downs.

[sl8]

8. John Langdon Down, no "s". n/t

[hedda_foil]

9. Thanks for the correction.

[Mariana]

10. The possessive form is correct in the UK.

Down's Syndrome.

I don't know why anyone considers that offensive. It's not like they're still calling it mongolism.

[d_r]

18. Nobody considers it "offensive" nt

[d_r]

16. No, it is named after

John Langdon Down, not Downs.

[Mariana]

7. Why? nt.

[d_r]

17. because so many people in the USA

incorrectly write "Downs Syndrome" - I get it from my students in their papers all the time. Since the 1970s it was established by NIH as correct in the US to say "Down Syndrome," but in the UK they say "Down's Syndrome." The US students hear that and incorrectly write it "Downs Syndrome" and then say "but the British people said that."

It is just a source of confusion. I think it has gotten to be a pet peeve like "data is."

[Mariana]

21. They spell some words differently over there

and pronounce them differently, too.

When you say "Down Syndrome" or "Down's Syndrome", it sounds the same either way it's spelled. I'm sure that creates some confusion. As others have pointed out in this thread, I suspect that most of the error comes from the fact that Down Syndrome is one of very few diseases or conditions named after people that doesn't use a possessive. Maybe the NIH should change it back to Down's Syndrome, for consistency.

Edited to correct an error.

[d_r]

22. Yes, I would like consistency

I don't know why NIH requires it that way, but they do. I think all US government documents do, so that would include department of ED, but I am not sure, I am positive about NIH though.

[Duppers]

5. Omg, Texas again.

[sl8]

6. "Supply teacher" equals "substitute teacher"

You'd think the darned British would speak better English.

[LeftInTX]

12. "Texan city of Pearland"

Cringe.....


I heard the BBC constantly calling Houston, the "Texan city of Houston".

I wish they would get the subtleties of American English.

Texan is a person.

Certainly they've heard of Houston, Texas.

Do they call Miami the "Floridian city of Miami"? etc

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Yes, we do:

We've included a stay in the vibrant Floridian city of Miami prior to your cruise

http://www.kuoni.co.uk/mexico/cruises/tropical-caribbean

Oxford English Dictionary:

adj.

Of or pertaining to the State of Texas.

1852 W. B. Dewees & ‘C. Cardelle’ Lett. from Early Settler Texas 142 On arriving at that place the Texan troops put to flight seven hundred Mexicans.

What would you say is the adjective for Texas, or Florida?

[d_r]

20. "ornery?" nt

[LeftInTX]

25. We call it Houston, Texas

Or Texas city of Houston.

[Mariana]

23. I wish they would get the subtleties of American English...

Why? They aren't writing it for Americans, so why would they use American English?

[LeftInTX]

24. Our local NPR station carries BBC World News from 9-10 am every morning

This is where I hear this.

[NastyRiffraff]

11. The Trump Effect is spreading to England!

Theresa May, PAY ATTENTION. It only gets worse.

[lindysalsagal]

13. Florida took the day off.....

[Egnever]

14. Texas surprise!

Never would have guessed...

[Initech]

26. I think the teacher is the one with the mental capacity of a one year old in this case.

[Snackshack]

27. ...

“We reached for the stars, and we acted like men. We aspired to intelligence; we didn't belittle it; it didn't make us feel inferior. We didn't identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn't scare so easy.

Perhaps the best scene of the show Newsroom.