Hope was not in the prognosis that doctors gave to Chie Myo, after examining her first son, Shunsuke, at the age of 3 months. They diagnosed the baby as having been born with Mongolism, a derogatory term previously used for Down syndrome, and predicted that he would not live long, saying a mere cold could take his life. Even if he survived, they said, he would suffer severe mental retardation and never live a "normal" life.

"Shun won't live to the age of 10. He might walk but he won't run. He won't understand what you say. That's what I was told by doctors," Myo says.

Shunsuke, however, has proved them wrong. At age 10, he was a cheerful boy, full of curiosity. On his way to and from special education classes at the local elementary school, he often took detours past neighborhood shops and made friends with people he met. He learned how to speak, read and write, albeit at a much slower rate than other children his age.

He went to summer camps, went on a 3,000-meter-class mountain-climbing tour and rode a horse in Mongolia, all with people without disabilities.

Now a fun-loving 29-year-old, Shunsuke works at a recycling company and lives in a condominium with three other disabled people and a housemother. With his 160,000 yen monthly salary, he covers all his living expenses and uses his disposable income on things such as customizing his bicycle or expanding his sunglasses collection. When on holiday, he and his mother take in musicals and travel around the country.

"Thanks to him, I have experienced the joys of life more often than most people," Myo says. "I appreciate him so much."

One in every 1,000 babies is born with Down syndrome, a considerably higher incidence than most other congenital abnormalities. The incidence increases with the mother's age: about 1 in 1,400 at age 25, 1 in 350 at 35 and 1 in 100 at 40.

To determine prenatal risk factors, doctors offer screenings and diagnostic tests during pregnancy. Some mothers decide to abort the fetus if diagnostic test results reveal the condition.

According to the Japan Down Syndrome Society, there are no official figures on how many babies are born with the condition in Japan. But estimating from the total number of newborns -- about 1.2 million a year for the last several years -- between 1,200 and 1,300 babies are born with the condition every year, experts say.

Between 50,000 and 60,000 people with Down syndrome are estimated to be living in Japan, according to the advocacy group.

While most people think of the condition in a negative light, the experiences of mothers like Myo and of thousands of families living with a son, daughter, brother or sister with Down syndrome challenge this notion. Rather than labeling people with Down syndrome as "disabled" and talking of the "risk" of giving birth to a child with the condition, families say that society should become aware of their special talents and the unique contributions they have to offer.

Hidden potential

A genetic anomaly caused by an extra chromosome, Down syndrome was originally known as Mongolism, after British doctor John Langdon Down first described the condition in the late 19th century as a "Mongolian type of idiocy."

Though the racist and derogatory nature of this term later came under fire and doctors eventually agreed to rename it Down syndrome, the condition is still popularly associated with a broad face with slanting eyes and mental retardation.

Children with Down syndrome generally take much longer to develop both physically and mentally. Shunsuke, for example, was slow to grow, and his academic skills at junior high school were even behind other classmates with Down syndrome, Myo says.

It took him nearly one month to remember the route when he began commuting by train to a junior high school for the disabled.

He can only read and write simple words and numbers, such as the names of his family members, his address and his home and work phone numbers. His vocabulary consists of only a few words and his pronunciation is so poor that at times even his family has difficulty understanding him. His IQ test, Myo says, was "impossible to score."

In everyday life, however, Shunsuke has always surprised, impressed and touched people in one way or another with his insight and cleverness.

On one occasion, Shunsuke's keen interest in cars prompted him to get on his mother's motorbike and ride around for several hours. On another occasion, he found a parked car with the key in the ignition, got in and drove off. Although he ended up hitting another car on the road, Myo was amazed by his ability to drive vehicles without ever having been taught.

Now Shunsuke impresses in much subtler ways. He shops on his own for clothes. He also buys all his own household items: Though their packaging looks similar and he has never been told which is which, he can distinguish among them and use them appropriately. He has also mastered his cellular phone with the help of a manual (although his mother says he can't read).

"I don't know how he figures those things out," Myo says. "It's a mystery."

The families of people who have Down syndrome often share stories of special abilities and talents displayed by the member with the condition. Their cheerful disposition and tendency to mimic helps people smile, laugh and relax, many families say.

Though their verbal and written communication skills may not be excellent, their families also say that people with Down syndrome are surprisingly good at understanding other people's needs and feelings.

A changing reality

There is more hidden potential to be discovered, says Kazuso Iinuma, director of the Tokyo-based IG Clinic, which supports families that have children with Down syndrome.

Although medical textbooks say Down syndrome patients are mentally retarded, have below-average muscle tone and are prone to other ailments, including heart disease and hearing loss, the instance of such problems and the extent to which they manifest themselves vary greatly among individuals, Iinuma says.

He thinks of Down syndrome not as a disease but as a condition, like atopy, which can be improved by proper medical and domestic care.

People with Down syndrome were, until recently, thought to have short life spans, but medical developments have increased the average life span to 50 years in Japan. While in the past mothers like Myo had to struggle to ensure that their children got proper care and an education, society now guarantees them an education and offers, albeit on a small scale, various systems to support them in their day-to-day life.

"In the United States and European countries where social support mechanisms were established much earlier, people with Down syndrome are participating more actively in society. Some people are on TV and in movies as actors. Some are recognized as artists," Iinuma says. "The daily reality for people with the condition is changing."

Such transformation can be seen in Daijiro Kuraishi, a 30-year-old artist. Having Down syndrome and difficulty hearing, Kuraishi had lived quietly in the small village of Togakushi, Nagano Prefecture, with his parents and brother. But his life totally changed two years ago, when one of his paintings won a prize at the Art Paralympics, an art competition for the disabled held to commemorate the Nagano Olympics and Paralympics.

Nobody, including Kuraishi's parents who are both painters, expected the award, his mother Hisako said.

Like Myo, Hisako was told by doctors that Daijiro would die soon after birth. Daijiro's parents brought him home thinking he would die there. He survived, however, and overcame infections and heart disease.

But they could never shake the memory of doctors using the word "idiocy" to describe their son's mental limitations, so the couple never expected anything from him and just wanted him to live happily as long as he could, according to Hisako.

Not worrying about whether Daijiro fully comprehended what was going on, his family took him to movies, exhibitions and fancy restaurants.

Since receiving the award, Daijiro has appeared on TV programs, held exhibitions at galleries in Tokyo and published a book with his family members. At the invitation of a Tokyo theatrical troupe, which discovered his talent for dance, he will make his stage debut in January.

"He has a lithe body and an excellent sense of balance," said Norio Toyoda, producer of the show. "It's amazing that he can dance despite being unable to hear. He has music inside him."

Daijiro developed his capacities without anyone in the family noticing, Hisako said. "The image I carried of my son prevented me from seeing him clearly. But the recognition he has received has opened my eyes, and I realize his inner world is much richer than mine."