​This is a lively, informative and entertaining biographical read from Joanne Pasquale, mum and freelance journalist, who gave birth to a boy with Down syndrome in November 2000. The book’s strapline, ‘One boy with Down syndrome and a mum who refused to let others tell her what he could or couldn’t achieve’, gives the reader an insight into the courage of Pasquale and all her family, from the point of her son Jamie’s pre-birth diagnosis onwards. With humour, determination and candour, the author gives the reader an insight into a world where everyday tasks can be a struggle and simple things mean a great deal. The book offers a chronology from the first scan, all the way to the end of her son’s primary schooling. The narrative is often bold in describing her experiences with health professionals before, during and immediately after her pregnancy with Jamie nearly 20 years ago. She reveals behaviours and attitudes that many parents will find familiar today, such as the
expectation that they would not go ahead with the pregnancy and the ‘bereavement midwife’ the author was referred to just after diagnosis.
 
Pasquale uses her story to explore issues such as the roller-coaster of the early days, toilet training, starting school, coping with a child who runs away, getting enough speech and language therapy input, making friends, and caring for siblings alongside a child with Down syndrome. All of these are described in a very approachable and readable way.
 
She also includes useful fact boxes to complement her narrative, offering readers factual information on various topics – screening tests, challenging behaviour and sleep apnoea to name a few. However, readers in Scotland should be aware that the author is based in England, and the situation north of the border regarding assessment and education systems may be different to that which she is describing in the book.
 
As well as sharing some very useful facts and experiences which others can make use of, she also explores some of the negative attitudes of some friends and acquaintances; for example, name calling at school, and how difficult that was to come to terms with emotionally.

​What really shines through in this encounter with Down syndrome is the resilient, bright and ultimately optimistic character of those whom the book is about. She reveals how ‘that extra chromosome may make Jamie different, and yet just the same, if only he is given the chance’. The continuing relevance of Pasquale’s experience indicates that there is work we still need to do with organisations, systems and communities to challenge perceptions and attitudes about people with Down syndrome.