Downsyndrome.com

Byline: Patrick B. Massey, M.D. Children like to dance. It’s one of the ways they develop coordination, strength and balance. It reinforces the fact that the mind and body are not separate. The mind develops through the physical movement and the body develops through the mental desire to move.

Among doctors, dance therapy is drawing increased interest, especially for patients with learning difficulties. It also is a recommended therapy to improve both physical and mental well-being for children with Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome have an extra or irregular …

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Each year, more than 200 children with developmental disabilities receive services from the Association for Children with Down Syndrome Inc., or ACDS.

While ACDS is the only school in the United States whose primary focus is children with Down Syndrome, the organization has also been working with children and adults with other disabilities for more than 38 years. Our model in serving this population centers on the concept of early intervention. The sooner you start working with a child and their family, the greater the chance that child has to be successful in life, said Michael Smith, executive director of ACDS.

Cerini: What type of early intervention programs do you provide?

Smith: We look to get involved with families as soon as we can, which sometimes means we begin working with mothers before they even deliver their child. Many prenatal tests can identify genetic disabilities such as Down Syndrome midway through pregnancy.

It’s important to us that we’re there to educate and train them on how to effectively raise their child. Families can come in to see what’s in store for their children, and they usually leave feeling very uplifted. This is very important, because initially many families believe they are the only ones dealing with such a situation. We’ll also put them in touch with parents that have been through this for three or four years already, which allows them the ability to build bonds to cope with having a developmentally disabled child.

Our early intervention classes focus on children under age 3, when a child’s cognitive development is at its highest. Utilizing physical, occupational and speech therapists, we not only work on the child’s gross and fine motor skills and oral skills but also teach mom and dad and other caregivers what to do, because as with many children, most of the teaching and learning comes from home. Socialization is also critical within our early intervention program. These children shouldn’t be isolated; they should be out there interacting with other children regularly. In an effort to keep the learning process moving forward, we hope to enroll these children in our pre-school, which works with kids up to age 5 and helps prepare them for the public school atmosphere.

Cerini: What are some benefits for a child that attends your school?

Smith: We work with developmentally disabled children in an integrated classroom environment, where disabled and non-disabled children are jointly taught in one setting. This approach not only provides a benefit to the developmentally disabled children through interaction and learning from their peers; it also allows non- disabled children the ability to understand and work with disabled peers. In the end, it translates to an easier transition for disabled children entering public schools and a different respect for individuals with disabilities for the non-disabled children.

Cerini: Do you have any interaction with the schools after the kids leave ACDS and enter the public school system?

Smith: We currently have some interaction, but we would like it to be greater. We want to work with the teachers and the administration to make the right decisions for these children.

Many schools, for instance, place disabled children in isolated classrooms or enroll them in gym and art, thinking that they should be treated the same as non-disabled children. But that’s not always the case. We have some children that have incredible verbal skills and really succeed in choral and music classes. The public schools need to be aware that children with Down Syndrome or other disabilities are capable of more than they typically get credit for. Making the right decisions during their childhood is the best way to have them succeed in adulthood.

Cerini: What services do you provide for adults with disabilities?

Smith: The main need for most adults with developmental disabilities is residential. They need a place to live that can accommodate their disability. ACDS provides five group homes that serve six or seven individuals each.

It’s actually one of the fastest-growing parts of our business, and we’re working on opening another group home in the near future. If we look back, 40 years ago people didn’t worry about caring for adults with Down Syndrome because the life expectancy was less than half of what is now. Today, because of advances in medicine and the fact that people are no longer institutionalized, the average life expectancy is 66 years. We take great pride in preparing individuals to succeed and live as independently as they can.

Copyright 2004 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

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Byline: Eileen O. Daday One mother’s dream to start a recreation center for children with Down syndrome celebrated its first anniversary earlier this month, and the future looks nothing but bright. Gigi’s Playhouse, named for Nancy Gianni’s daughter, Giuliana, and located in Hoffman Estates, drew more than 500 people to its anniversary bash, including about 250 children with Down syndrome.

Center officials know there were that many children because they took each one’s picture for their "Wall of Fame," and, boy, did those children spruce up for their portraits. …

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Byline: Susan Dibble Daily Herald Staff Writer Jennifer Paganessi remembers her shock when she learned her son, Brandon, had been born with Down syndrome. "You think they’ll have no life," she said. In the three years since Brandon’s birth, Paganessi has learned that’s not the case.

Therapy for children with Down syndrome now begins when they are newborns, she said. "It’s proven they can achieve so much more now," she said. "Our teenagers are holding down jobs and taking regular classes in school." Last year the Plainfield woman, along …

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Teaching Math To People

With Down Syndrome

DeAnna Horstmeier

Woodbine House

6510 Bells Mill Rd, Bethesda, MD 20817

www.woodbinehouse.com

1890627429 $19.95 1-800-843-7323

Teaching Math To People With Down Syndrome And Other Hands-On Learners by instructional resources consultant and cognitive disabilities expert DeAnna Horstmeier is Book 1 of the Topics in Down Syndrome series and an emphatically practical guide especially for special education professionals or anyone charged with abstract instruction to cognitively challenged students. Chapters address teaching strategies for basic math survival skills, calculator useage, writing numerals, whole number addition and subtraction, time, shapes and patterns, money, and more fill this superb educator guidebook with emphasis on practical needs. An exhaustive appendix of reproducible teaching and assessment materials rounds out this superb reference, study guide, and manual of tips, tricks, and techniques.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Midwest Book Review
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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Early Communication Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, Second Edition, by Libby Kumin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Bethesda, MD, Woodbine House, 2003, 368 pp., $19.95.

This is the second edition of this comprehensive guide to language evaluation and management in children with Down syndrome. To the 1994 edition, a much broader discussion of the language issues for younger children has been added. The result is a remarkably complete discussion of the normal development of language, the situations where problems may arise, and the factors that …

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Talk About Differences. Siblings of children with a disability or obvious difference often struggle with their fears about how peers may respond. While feelings of embarrassment and anger may be what show on the surface, your student could probably use some direction on how to support his brother. Spend some time in class focusing on the ways we can all learn to appreciate the differences among us and then perhaps correspond with the fifth grader in a journal that addresses his personal situation. A little direction and empathy can go a long way!–Jaynelle Nestle, Casis Elementary School, Austin, TX

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Share Knowledge With Your Students. I found that the best way to address this issue is to suggest to the parents and the fifth grader that they as a family present information to the class about Down syndrome, along with any personal information they feel comfortable sharing. Many parents welcome the opportunity to educate others on a subject so important to them. The fifth grader may want to give suggestions about how the class can greet his brother in the hallway or on the playground. Once the "secret" is out, he is validated in his role as brother, and your students have invaluable information for understanding diversity. Hopefully, the younger brother will have an entire class looking out for his well-being on the playground.–Jane Lierman, Oak Creek School, Lake Oswego, OR

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Keep it in Perspective. Almost all fifth graders struggle with peer relations and some degree of sibling rivalry. A fifthgrade boy may display embarrassment, frustration, and even cruelty towards any younger sibling. He may resent family responsibilities or be uncomfortable expressing fondness for a sibling in front of his peers. At this age, kids often need help sorting out their feelings and using language instead of actions (hitting, shoving, etc.) Consider asking the younger brother’s teacher to observe the two to learn how it may be affecting the younger child. I would also have a private conversation with your student, tell him your concerns, and really listen to how he responds.–Dawn Flowers Thompson, Clara Barton #2 School, Rochester, NY

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Dr. Brodkin responds:

I agree with the observation that fifth graders often struggle with a new urgency about their peer standing and, as a result, suffer embarrassment over family members, with or without special needs. We may miss this point if we turn to didactic instruction about any particular disability, which in this case happens to be Down syndrome. I would not be in favor of doing a classroom study or of bringing in the family. Remember, we are dealing with an age group that is easily embarrassed; we don’t want to add to the fifth grader’s discomfort. On the other hand, if the teacher can establish a trusting relationship with this child, she can help by explaining to him that being different is not shameful and point out that his brother enjoys many of the same things that all kids enjoy. With the parents, the teacher can raise questions about her student’s understanding of his brother’s situation. Has it been explained to him in terms that make sense to him? In my view, openness and readiness to raise and respond to any question at all belongs in the family, not in the public forum of the classroom.

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Dr. Adele Brodkin is a child psychology expert and the author of Fresh Approaches to Working With Problematic Behavior (Scholastic, 2001).

COPYRIGHT 2004 Scholastic, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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