I was fearful of my daughter's Down syndrome diagnosis. I had much to learn and more to unlearn | Elizabeth Callinan

As noninvasive prenatal screening becomes more common in Australia, Elizabeth Callinan wonders what it would have been like to get a high-chance result

We talk a lot about Down’s syndrome in our house. My youngest child Greta, now 5, was diagnosed with mosaic Down’s syndrome just before her second birthday. My partner and I have fielded many questions from her older brothers Jasper, 10, and Rory, 8. Early on, when we were learning key word sign to help Greta communicate, they asked, “Will she be able to talk?” I explained that her vocabulary would likely grow and that if it didn’t, we would find other ways to make sure she could let us know what she wanted and how she felt.

Now Greta is doing the asking. At bedtime a few weeks ago came the question, “What does Down’s syndrome mean?”

Thinking back to my fear at the time of Greta’s diagnosis, I wonder what it would have been like to learn of her genetic makeup while I was pregnant

These stories are shared so we can learn but not judge

Related: My sister is nonverbal but she knows the words to every song. Now we’ve made an album together | Ian Brennan

Elizabeth Callinan is host and executive producer of One Screened Every Minute. The podcast is produced by Joel Supple and supported by the University of Melbourne, Melbourne Disability Institute and the Vasudhara Foundation.

The Upside is available now on ABC iView.

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