A New Springtime

Down Syndrome and Speech/ A Parental Approach

  I try not to fear the challenges we face as a family when it comes to our son with Down Syndrome. He is already doing so well and I know that repetition and modeling are  the keys to success in his life. Having the larger family is an advantage for him because he naturally gets both.

 I try to take each stage of development he goes through one at a time. It is a bit easier for me knowing what a child's development "should " be like due to the fact that I have had seven other children. I know his development is much slower but i do not let it bother me because I see a progression even if it is slower. That is basically the norm with kids with DS.

 I don't want to say that I don't have expectations but I try to watch with a realistic eye. By this I mean; I know the delays and I do not fear them. I accentuate the positive and look for the smallest progress. Because even something small is big to him and to us!

 Our son thrives on encouragement, as we all do but for him, that is his world! To see his family excited, ecstatic about the slightest of feats makes him thrive! Before anyone  with degrees in speech or special ed. it was simply humble parents who raised and trusted that their children were worthy and they nurtured them without professions to their highest potentials.  I am not knocking these therapists, their services can be very valuable and should be considered. At the same time as a parent we need to be confident that we can also pray, research and help our children to thrive in these areas.

 

 

Researching How To Teach My Son with Down Syndrome How to Read

I am praying to be able to teach our son who has Down Syndrome how to read. he will turn five in April this year. I read in this book that when a child with DS  can discriminate  items (match like things with other like things) that is a good time to begin teaching them to read. Our son can definitely do that. he has mastered this skill by using:

• a shape sorter
• matching card games (Dollar Tree)
• color matching putting items of the same color on a colored sheet of construction paper
• matching games (Brown Bear picture card game)
• Melissa and Dough wooden puzzles ( big knobs, smaller knobs)

I am sure there are many other fun ways to encourage kids to recognize like things. the internet is full of ideas!

I like to take my time to read these type of books and I also encourage anyone trying to do this to take notes. Treat yourself to a pretty journal or notebook to make this a personal and important enjoyable journey.

I think a chapter every 3 days is reasonable. After reading and taking notes give yourself a few days for the info to sink in. Go back and read over the notes before going on, highlighting anything that stands out in your mind.

I find it very helpful to discuss what I have read with an interested relative or friend, verbally discussing the information helps me to retain what I have read and get some positive feed back and encouragement from others as well!

"I can do all things in Jesus Christ who strengthens me!" This is the phrase I will keep before me while reading and praying while taking on this task.

 

 

 

Got Down Syndrome!

  Almost five years ago this lil' boy came into our lives! No prenatal diagnosis and I am kind of glad because it would of been a lot of needless thoughts and worrying on my part.  The love this  precious soul exudes has been extraordinary and a blessing to our family! I encourage anyone who has received a prenatal diagnosis not to be afraid and not to listen to the ill informed advice of the doctors who say, that children with DS are not compatible with life. That is nothing but fear mongering and nonsense.

 Hugs, laughter, caring, and joy from our boy are not only compatible but essential to life! Got Down Syndrome!

Diggin' Down Syndrome

Our special little boy who has Down Syndrome never ceases to amaze me! He is always wanting to do everything he can to help and to participate in family life!

I just love watching this energetic, full of life boy of 4 years old, imitate his dad! He is so inquisitive and gets right into yard work any everyday projects.

There is no job to tough or to hard for this guy!

 

Slam Dunk

  I joke around and say, " Malcolm was born on a basketball court." That is because ever since he was a wee tiny baby he has been attending his siblings games. At one point, we had  five of our children playing on at least four different teams.

 Our special little boy took to the game immediately, he loved all of the activity: the fast-paced running back and forth, the ball being thrown, baskets being made, the loud whistle blowing and the exciting cheering crowd.

 Before Malcolm could even walk his physical therapist motivated him to stand with our support by placing this hoop in front of him. Well, he has come a long way since then and now he is practically running from place to place and trying to dunk some b-balls.

 This lil' boy never ceases to amaze me with his determination and love of life! He is so thrilled that he can actually get in on the game!

 The older kids are so excited for him, they like to play with him and teach him some skills. It is such a sembiotic relationship! How I love to be able to witness these moments.

 

 

 

Summer Sensory Bin

  During the summer I like to surround my family with things that remind us of the beach and the ocean. Books about seashells, puzzles that have fish, sharks or boats themes and home decor that reflects a summer vacation house. It is good to spark the imagination and open up the mind to the season of relaxation.

    At Hobby Lobby, I spotted these glass bubble gems in aqua, blue and clear I knew it would be a great way to make our summer sensory bin into a sparkling sea. The sunlight coming in the window dances on the bubbles and gives that dancing light effect. It is a great way to get little ones engaged in some creative play.

Adding silky fabrics in water colored hues gives the kids the feeling of being surrounded by soft waves.

Strips of material can be added as seaweed, to give the bin another texture for sensory imput. We also added toob figures and some real seashells.

The possibilities are unless and the kiddos usually engage in play for a good hour or more.

  Older children even enjoy open ended play as well, it is a fun time for them to sit with their younger siblings and create together.

My sweet little boy likes to put the glass bubbles into a measuring container. This is a great fine motor activity. I do however recommend parental supervision with these because they are small pieces and can be tempting for them to put into their mouths.

I enjoy trying to come up with different seasonal items for our sensory bin, I think this summer one is my favorite so far: smooth glass, sunshine, seaweed fabric, seashells set up an afternoon of fabulous fantasies!

Our Boy turns Three

Hello today is my birthday!  Today our baby turns three! He really isn't a baby anymore but he is my youngest and I guess I am trying to hold on to that stage.

 

It's hard to believe that three years have gone bye but it has and they have been wonderful for the most part. Malcolm has had a few minor medical issues but we worked through them with medical and prayful support.

Malcolm has been a joy and wonderful addition to our family. He has made us think, laugh, and love even more since his birth.

 I try to have activities for him each day, keeping track of them im my Daily Lesson worksheets I use for the other kids. Right now we are working on recognizing objects using flash cards and giving him choices between them. Ex: Can you give me the car?
I continue to give him exercises for his fine motor skills. Yesterday, he was taking these puff balls out of the bag and putting them into the pecil box. I only opened the lid a tiny bit so it would be a challenge. I made a "blip" sound as he put them in and he would laugh his head off.

This little three year old loves music, he has a basket full of different instruments and he and his sister use. He likes the microphones that make the voice echo. They are great for getting kids with DS to vocalize. He also likes whistles, harmonicas as well.

These two never miss the opportunity for a jam session.

He has come around full circle with his eating and is now a pro at manipulating his food. He had trouble chewing when he began solids and needed a lot of oral stimulation. A nook brush and some simple squeezing of his cheeks was the beginning therapy and those sensories woke up pretty quickly.

Yes, my baby is growing up and he inspires me everyday. he inspires all of us to work hard at loving and serving each other. My boy is three today!!

Early Intervention and A Going Away Party

 My youngest son has Down Syndrome and he has gotten Early Intervention sevices since he was about 1 year old. I didn't sign him up right away as an infant because I was comfortable dealing with his needs alone. When it came time for him to eat solid foods, he was having difficulties chewing his food and I needed some support and assistance at that time. His pediatrician recommended calling EI so my husband and I discussed it, coming to the conclusion that it was a good idea. We met with the women and set up a plan of goals together to meet our little ones needs. I felt this program respected us as a family unit and that is very important to us especially because we homeschool. After 2 years of services from an occupational therapist, physical therapist, and a developmental therapist I can say that the input from them was very supportive. We worked together as a team to give our special boy what he needed.
( our boy with his occupational therapist)

After two years this part of our life's journey has come to an end. EI sevices end when a child becomes three years of age and then there are other options for a family to choose from:

• a public preschool/full services
•  apublic preschool/ discreet services
• private services
• medical based services ex. physical therapy @ a local hospital
• homeschool  ( parent  makes plans and goals for child doing research and using various resources and methods)

We had wonderful EI workers and we wanted to show them our appreciation. Whenever someone gives of themselves whether a job or volunteer work, I feel a sense of gratitude. I also love to meet other people. Service is a reflection of the glory of God. We wanted to honor our workers and let them know we appreciated them.   We decided to have a luncheon/going away party for them.

We had a very simple menu and the girls helped to prepare the food:

• ham /turkey platter
• rolls
• cold macoroni salad
• veggies for dipping
• fruit salad

It was a lovely early spring event with lovely people.

The ladies from EI made birthday cupcakes for our lil' boy and gave him some wonderful "tools" for his 3 year old celebration!

 

One of them was the book, "Little Gorilla" it is about a baby gorilla getting bigger celebrating growth and his birthday, So appropriate for the age and occasion.

 

The other was a Melissa and Doug wooden birthday cake. Such thoughtful ideas! We are so blessed!

I am pleased with the past two years of services from EI. I was a bit apprehensive at first but because of the way the program works and respected our family it was very productive. I am going to homeschool our boy because that is what I have done with my other children and that is the calling that our family is following. I have some wonderful friends that are willing to support us and give us input from their experiences. I will make up goals (IEP) for myself and when he turns 6 I will formally provide one for the schoolboard. I will most likely seek private speech therapy. There are some now that will take private insurance. Malcolm recieves many fringe benefits from having a large family that homeschools. He has constant stimulation and modeling from his parents and 5 other siblings still at home. This works to a child with DS advantage. I am looking forward to our spring and summer with the kids and it will be a new season for Malcolm. He will be able to get some great physical activity at our local park and natural outdoor play! It will be a new chance introduce him to new wonders of the world and new sign language for those things.

Although our EI workers are going away they will be with us in more ways than one. The things we have learned from them will always be with us as we move forward into a new season.

Up and at 'Em

Our little trooper is starting to be able to climb up onto everything. He can climb our stairs from top to bottom. We now have gates both up and downstairs.

This was the scene in our living room yesterday. He uses his toy box to climb up and get his books on the shelf.

After climbing and selecting his favorite book, he sits there and proceeds to examine his choice. He uses sign language and some vocalizatiions to tell me what the pictures are.

Malcolm is now 31 months and is doing so much mentally and physically. He may have Down Syndrome but he doesn't miss a beat. He has so much encouragement and stimulation due to his many siblings that he is just making so many strides. He is up and at 'em!

Filled to the Brim Homeschooling

Our homeschool days are filled to the brim with many different ages and curriculums. We have a :

• 2 yr old, with Down Syndrome
• 5 yr old, kindergartener
• 10 yr old, 5th grader
• 11 yr old, 6th grader
• 13 yr old, 8th grader
• 15 yr old, 10th grader

Each day the children are responsible for pulling out their own books and doing the assigned work. They have a weekly chart ,with each day of the week on it, to fill in. At the end of each day they hand it in and I fill out my daily curriculum page. All except the 2 and 5 year old do this on their own. This fosters a sense of independent learning and responsibitity. I am available when questions arise or difficulties with any lessons.

On Hannah's desk is her chart and her history assignment for the day, She is reading about early American History in "From Sea to Shining Sea" put out by CHC.

 All of the children have been working on figuring out the main ideas of paragraphs appropriate to their grade level. There is a great website called K12Reader.com and it has a lot of great literary worksheets and advice.

There are even high school level worksheets which exphose students to classic literary works. They have pargraphs from Moby Dick, Romeo and Juliet, The Courtship of Miles Standish by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to name a few. It can be used for an introduction to a longer novel or alone for those who may get overwhelmed by reading.

This is the science book my 8th grader is using, "  Life Science, All Creatures Great and Small". I spread this book out over a two year period and am excited to learn they are coming out with a new updated color version of this text at CHC, soon.

My little kindergartener has been working on the typical grade K work, phonics, addition, sequencing, the seasons, pilgrims, etc.  She used stamps to fill in the letters on the above worksheet, a fun way to encourage phonics and spelling.

She also takes up helping her little brother as well. Unfortunately, seasonal colds have been making their way through our homeschool as well.

 The kids display some of their favorite papers or activities on our show and tell bar we have hanging on our wall. Right now we have a leaf collection, a pilgrim coloring page and...

a drawing and description of a lion, part of our African study...

a "Lord of the Rings" coloring page. We are reading this as a group and our  kidergartener did this while listening to us.

Here is another part of the leaf collection by our 5th grader, she is also drawing flowers for her nature notebook. The kids do are quite good at keeping themselves on track in their individual subjects, they are interested learners and their lives are filled to the brim with learning opportunities.