Mel...you aren't alone. And you are incredibly brave to share this. I had a similar experience as a child, and understand when you say that people assume you must be the liar and the differently-abled child is blameless. It seems it is difficult for people to believe that someone can both have Downs Syndrome *and* have a cruel streak. Not sure why, but it's been my experience as well. And because people don't want to believe it, it tends not to be spoken about or written about. Thank you for posting this. The fact that you can now see it for what it was (wrong, and not your fault) will, I hope, go a long way to helping you heal. Sending love and strength.