[moopierof]

I noticed throughout my life that a lot of disabled people (specifically the ones with some form of mental retardation or a learning disability) look younger than they really are. And I know this one person who's an austic sevant (according to what his caretakers have said) and he does have the mentality of someone 10 or younger but he's 45 and to me looks at least 35.

Why is this?

[Rffkwfct]

You know the saying you're only as old as you feel? My thought (which I've only given thought to since reading your post) is that maybe those people with MR who have a younger mental capacity look younger because they are younger mentally. Mind over matter, you know? I always have people tell me I look much younger than I am (I'm not bragging, really! lol!) and I think it's because I feel younger. Most of the time I try to not act my age (except for when I have to.) I always say I feel like a 12/14 year old in a 30 year old body. Sometimes I can't believe I'm 30, cause I sure as hell don't feel like it!

[bpejjssoe]

I think that makes a lot of sense witch...

I feel ancient, and I know that I look older than 16 years old because there are people who have asked me if I'm 18 since they were unsure. And these were therapists I'd met at my school and other similar settings.. and if you're over 18, you couldn't be in these places. So who knows.. I might even look 19... My mom is...er.. in her mid-forties. People will mistake her for her mid to late twenties. With all her stress and attitudes toward things I think it's amazing.. And she has said herself: she feels so much younger than she is. People think we're sisters when we go out.

[Gerribase]

I have noticed that too. I once cared for a young man with an IQ of about 70 and even though he was in his mid 20's and almost thirty his body was that of a twelve year old and his facial hair was sparce. I have wondered if the slow body development was due to the slower mind development...curious question....

[moopierof]

You know I'm 24 and since I was 18 I was told that I looked much younger. Sometimes I feel younger but not in a good way

It's weird, I feel like as an adult who looks younger, I'm actually treated worse than someone younger than me.

There's a lot of discrimination against the young it seems like.

I'm starting to feel older in some ways though.

I'm still told I look 16-18.

[moopierof]

My mom theorized it was due to the disabled not being as stressed. Well I guess the ones who are unaware of the world around them due to their disability may not experience stress. But for the ones who are slightly disabled (such as myself) and pretty aware, have a lot of stresses, especially when you noticed how everyone else is around you.

[moopierof]

When I had my two childcare jobs in 2005 and 2006, one of them was specifically with special needs children and at one there were a couple of them and I noticed how some of the kids even though they were young, somehow looked a bit younger.

[moopierof]

Also I've read and saw something on tv once about people with Angelman Syndrome look years younger than they really are. I remember there was something on the news about this girl who was a high school student, around 15-18 but she really looked like she was in grade school and she had that syndrome.

[Sironimoll]

Stress is such a major component of aging. If you are mentally disabled for example, you obviously don't get affected like most people.

[bpejjssoe]

Also I've read and saw something on tv once about people with Angelman Syndrome look years younger than they really are. I remember there was something on the news about this girl who was a high school student, around 15-18 but she really looked like she was in grade school and she had that syndrome.

I heard of of a disease with a similar, but OPPOSITE effect...and it's major. I don't know if this was an exaggeration, but there was a movie starring Robin Williams based on this disease. He played a ten year-old - a boy(lol Mrs Doubtfire!)- with this problem and his character looked, 45 years older-so actually, Robin wasn't wearing a costume disguise for this- ...Wait... actually, this disease causes you to grow older a lot faster than you're supposed to... So, his character, a ten year-old, actually had the body of a 45 year-old or something like that. Not sure what the age is supposed to be in the movie, but that's the idea. And apparently it happens for real... and it's not just age appearance by a few years.

[moopierof]

Yeah I heard of that one too and watched do***entaries about it but I don't remember the name of it. And in the movie he was supposed to be 10. I actually saw the movie when I was younger. Except in the do***entaries, it was only their faces, bodies (except for height and weight) and hair made them look old. For some reason they still had the height and weight of people their age.

[moopierof]

Why is the word DO***ENTARY censored?

[moopierof]

Stress is such a major component of aging. If you are mentally disabled for example, you obviously don't get affected like most people.

I find that the experiences of being disabled are stressful even though they aren't normal stresses.

[Rffkwfct]

Except in the do***entaries, it was only their faces, bodies (except for height and weight) and hair made them look old. For some reason they still had the height and weight of people their age.

If the syndrome you're referring to is the the same one I'm thinking of, it's called Progeria. I've also seen several do***entaries about it.

http://www.progeriaresearch.org/about_progeria.html

[moopierof]

Still I'm wonder why the word do***entaries/do***entary is being censored hmmmm.

[Rffkwfct]

Because of the word that the 3 missing letters spells, lol!

[bpejjssoe]

Because of the word that the 3 missing letters spells, lol!

I never figured out what those three letters meant as a word until I heard something like that from people talking around me at school. I didn't know what it meant then... so.. I looked it up. And you know what? Eww.

[Sironimoll]

I find that the experiences of being disabled are stressful even though they aren't normal stresses.

I said mentally disabled. If you are mentally disabled you are basically like a child all the time (worry free) You just don't have the though process, logic, to have stress. Obviously if you are physically disabled, that's different.

[moopierof]

Yes, but even with mental disabilities there's a big difference of mentalities and understanding. I have an LD but I'm highly functional, so I'm aware enough to know what goes on around me, and basically I'm normal enough to stress out LOL.

[moopierof]

I never figured out what those three letters meant as a word until I heard something like that from people talking around me at school. I didn't know what it meant then... so.. I looked it up. And you know what? Eww.

Yeah after I posted the question, I thought about it and I was like, oh.

But still it's in a word, not stand alone so I don't agree with the censors