Happy Siblings Day! "MY Brother" (6 yr. old tells about her brother w/Down Syndrome)

HAPPY SIBLINGS DAY!

MY BROTHER

A six year old tells about her brother with Down Syndrome

I found this sweet post on the National Down Syndrome Society's FB page  https://www.facebook.com/NDSS1979?fref=nf .

Siblings of children with special needs really face a lot both with a different family dynamic from many of their peers as well as environmental/society factors involved.  However, one of the many many beautiful benefits for these siblings is an increased understanding of some of the most important things in life that effect US ALL ... things like wisdom, compassion, and a greater understanding of how "people are".  They also hold insight on how to immensely love and accept others, despite differences, and they learn this very necessary skill far sooner than most of us.  This takes the rest of the world much longer to learn!  That leads me to my final point about these awesome siblings ... and that is they are natural born teachers.  They show us how we should be loving, how we should be acting, and how to resolve our fears.

Through all the hard times ... still ... what a gift it is for the a child to be a sibling of a child with special needs  AND what a gift it is for a child with special needs to have such a sibling.

WELL ... I thought that was the end of today's blog post UNTIL I came across this gem online ... please read and share with that boy or girl you know that needs it!

Dear Sibling to a Child with special needs ... Let me tell you why you are amazing! (Letter to a sibling)


Jessica Daisi

For more information, please visit:

http://www.dsalowcountry.org/

Bycicle Camp - DSAL event for children with special needs

Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry (DSAL) Event!
(Click link below for registration form/info)

Lose the Training Wheels

Bicycle Camp For Children with Special Needs
 
Did you know that only 10% of children with Down syndrome and 20% of those with autism ever learn to ride a bike?


This camp will help teach up to 40 children with special needs how to ride a conventional bike without training wheels. We provide specialized  bicycle riding equipment developed by Rainbow Trainers, Inc., as well as a team of experts and volunteers.

Each child will attend one 75 minute session per day for five consecutive days. There will be 1-2 volunteers assisting the trainers with each child.

Our goal is to change the lives of children by teaching them a skill that will build self-confidence, provide inclusion with their peers and open the door to unlimited recreational opportunities. This program has an 85% success rate.
 
When:    July 26-July 30, 2010

Where:     North Charleston Convention Center     
                 5001 Coliseum Drive Charleston

Schedule:

Session A 8:30-9:45
Session B 10:00-11:15
Session C 11:30-12:45
Session D 1:45—3:00
Session E 3:15-4:30

Registration Fee:   $175
*  Majority of camp costs will be covered by grants and donations. Some scholarship money is available upon request.

Down Syndrome - Supporting speech/launguage development at home

Down Syndrome

What can parents do to help infants and young children learn speech and language?

• Parents are the primary communicators interacting with their babies and young children; thus, parents can do a great deal to help their children learn to communicate. Many of the pre-speech and pre-language skills are best learned in the home environment.
• Remember that language is more than spoken words. When you are teaching a word or a concept, focus on conveying meaning to the child through play or through multisensory experiences (hearing, touch, seeing).
• Provide many models. Most children with Down syndrome need many repetitions and experiences to learn a word. Repeat what your child says, and give him a model to help him learn words.
• Use real objects and real situations. When you are teaching a concept, use daily activities and real situations as much as possible. Teach the names of foods as your toddler is eating, names of body parts while you are bathing your child, and concepts such as under, in and on while your child is playing. Communication is part of daily life.
• Read to your child. Help your child learn concepts through reading about them, field trips in the neighborhood and daily experiences.
• Follow your child's lead. If your child shows interest in an object, person or event, provide him or her with the word for that concept. There are many milestones as the child progresses toward using speech. The child responds to a familiar voice, recognizes familiar faces, experiments with many different sounds, produces strings of sounds over and over and makes a sound to mean you (dada, mama). Many children enjoy looking in a mirror, and increase their sound play and babbling when vocalizing in mirrors. Effective ways to work on these skills at home can be learned through early intervention sessions, through books, workshops and speech and language professionals. For more information, see:

Kumin, L. (2003). Early communication skills for children with Down syndrome: Guide for parents and teachers. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

Down Syndrome spotlight, Colin Gets a Chance

I received a message through LinkedIn regarding a new resource.  I have not yet been able to view this myself, but am anxious to.  The book, Colin Gets a Chance, was written by Brian Beale in honor of his son, Colin, who has Down Syndrome.

Below is a portion of the description of this book.

"It’s a book about a little boy who never gets a chance to play the game he loves (baseball) until the last game of the season when his team steps up to the coach and asks him to let Colin bat as they want to cheer for him as he’s done for them all season long.
This is a truly inspirational book as the book cover and all illustrations were done by individuals with Down syndrome. It just does not get any better than that!!! “Colin Gets a Chance” is a children’s book about acceptance and inclusion of others who appear different on the surface, but are so much more alike than different once given a chance."
-Brian Beale, PHR, Author
Visit http://www.colingetsachance.com to learn more about this book as well as to view a sampling of the illustrations.  You are also able to view a video, and meet 'the real Colin'.

I can't wait to get my hands on this book!

Jessica