Speech Therapy

We took my son in for a speech evaluation and will start speech therapy next week. Of course, when the therapist that evaluated him asked him to say some words he wouldn't. But, I know he isn't very verbal so I think this speech therapy will be a good thing. My kids tend to be late talkers so I was waiting to see if he'd pick it up on his own. Since he's only saying a few words and generally communicating in other ways, I wanted to get him started.

He does not have a problem communicating at all, he just isn't very verbal and I know he'll need to be verbal before he starts school, so now is a good time. I'm also hoping to learn techniques from the therapist that I can use at home to help him.

Does anyone have any advice on what helped your child with verbal skills?

I'm excited for him to be more verbal. I can't wait to hear him speak more.

Jennifer Aniston's Ignorant Display

A perfect example of a non-thinking, flippant reference to people with intellectual disabilities. Jennifer Aniston thought she was being funny, when in reality she was making use of a word that hurts and degrades those who have intellectual disabilities. I've never been a fan of Aniston's and I'm certainly not now. I'm sure she meant it to be some off-the-cuff remark for laughs, but the fact is it isn't funny. Not to my son. Not to me. Not to the thousands who struggle each day for some acceptance and some respect.

People with disabilities don't want or need a cure--they need compassion, kindness, and understanding. Don't try to change them, embrace who they are and what they can each offer to the world. Each of us is a child of God, no matter what challenges we may face.

And, for the record, people with intellectual disabilities don't "play dress-up."

Memory Skills

I've heard that kids with DS have problems with memory skills so I've been watching my son. Since he's still young, I don't know yet about long-term memory, but he seems to be able to remember things like how to turn on the computer after I've turned it off, how to access his favorite websites (like Starfall), and how to lock me out of the house (while he smiles at me).

Today I watched him match words on Starfall. I've seen him match items like apples or dogs or flowers, but I've never seen him match words. I thought maybe he was just lucky the first time I saw him do it, but he repeated it by matching four more words. When he finished, he looked at me with a smile and then pointed to the screen. He realized he'd done what he was supposed to do for that particular game.

I'll continue to watch him for memory skills.

As far as potty-training, he has had many dry diapers in the morning and he's had long periods of a dry diaper during the day. He also points to his diaper when it's wet and says, "Eeeww." I nod my head and say, "Eeeww." Then I sing, "Potty in the diaper, no, no, Potty in the toilet, yes, yes." I think he's getting ready, but I don't want to push him and stress him out and then make it take longer. So we'll keep working on potty-training.

And, he's the only one home with me now that school has started. Very weird. I haven't only had one child home in over twenty years. I'm looking forward to one-on-one time with him and helping him grow and learn.  

Reading and Potty Training

Yep, we're still working on potty training, probably will be for quite some time. While my son sits on the toilet I read him books. He's doing more and more signs for pictures in the books. I was reading him an ABC book and we got to the letter N. The illustration was notes, as in musical notes. I had never read this book to my son before, but he pointed at the notes and started singing and waving his arms around as if leading others in singing. I was shocked to see him connect musical notes to singing and can only guess he recognized them from the hymnbooks we use each Sunday.

Kids with Down syndrome generally do not have good memories, or so I've read. But, my son definitely remember things, even things I wouldn't guess he'd remember like those musical notes.

Every day is an adventure with my son. I find it exhilirating to see what he'll do each day and to watch him grow and learn. I never would've thought this when he was born, but I'm very, very grateful I have a son with Down syndrome! I feel so blessed that Heavenly Father chose me to be his mom.

Potty Training Update

We're still working on potty training. My son will sit on the potty each morning. He likes to see a doll use the potty first so I "feed" the baby and then let it go potty on the toilet. He then jumps up on the seat and sits there while I read him books. He hasn't actually gone potty yet, but he knows what it means when I say, "Let's go potty." He'll sit there for awhile and he understands that afterwards he needs to flush the toilet and wash his hands. He isn't afraid of the toilet which is progress for him.

I read short book on potty training in one day. It isn't really in one day because you spend a few weeks ahead of time preparing for the "big day" and then you spend a few weeks, or even months, afterwards cleaning up accidents and following up on using the toilet. For my other 9 kids I've just waited until they were ready and looked for signs that they could understand. Since my youngest has had dry diapers and points to his diaper when he wets, I think he's getting ready.

We also watch potty training DVDs and sing songs about it.

It's slow going, but he'll get there. Meanwhile, we'll read a lot of books and sing a lot of songs together.

The Inspiration of Team Hoyt

The world sees Rick Hoyt as handicapped and many pity him. Yet, in the eternal scheme of things, he is not the one that is handicapped, we are. His challenges, like my son's, will never keep him out of the celestial kingdom, while mine will.

While watching this video and the love this father has for his son, I am reminded of the scripture in John 15:13: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Have a tissue nearby while you watch this.

He's Not a Chromosome Count

My son still amazes me when he does things I don't expect.

He loves to play on Starfall (www.starfall.com) and today I watched him choose a game about the body. Words were listed at the top of the screen. In the middle of the screen was a figure of a kid. Along the sides of the kid were spaces with arrows pointing to different body parts like head, arm, foot, hand, etc. I stood in amazement as my four-year-old, who doesn't speak much, matched words to body parts by clicking on the word at the top and dragging it to the correct space. Time and time again he did it correctly. As soon as he'd match one, he'd look at me and smile.  At the end of the game, the kid on the screen did a little dance so my son stood on his chair and shook his little bootie. So cute!

The more I see him do things like this, the more determined I am to make sure he doesn't get shoved into a "box" designed by well-meaning people who decide he'll only do certain things because he has an extra chromosome. He's an individual with talents just like everyone else. He may have challenges, but so what?

He needs to be evaluated as an individual, not as a chromosome count.