Please introduce yourself!

[Janicen]

I'm Janice, mom to two sons: one in college and the other a teenager with Down syndrome. I read most of the introductions including the first one which said, "As scary as the words 'Down syndrome' may sound to a pregnant mom, I want everyone to know that the reality of having a child with DS is an amazing & wonderful journey - not the scary diagnosis that it sounds like." I partly agree with that; having a child with Ds can be an amazing and wonderful journey, and it has been for me, however it is a much MORE scary diagnosis than it sounds like. At least that's my take on it. When I found out I might have a child with Ds, I ignored the doctors and refused to have an amniocentesis because I wasn't going to give up my baby for such a silly reason; I knew I would love him just as much if he turned out to have Ds. Ignorance was bliss throughout my pregnancy. Then came his birth and immediate health problems--scary stuff. I was so ignorant about Ds that I didn't know how common serious congenital health problems are in Ds; I just thought our kids' extra chromosome affected their intellect. Well, from all of the stories I've heard since then, we got off easy in the health department--fortunately; but we didn't exactly escape with no health problems. And no one told me that I might spend his first 10 years sleep deprived, never once getting a full night's sleep from the day he was born, or the huge toll that would take on my health. (Fortunately, I finally get to sleep more now that he is older.) No one told me how expensive it would be either. And what about the not-so-medically-based co-morbid conditions our kids can have like ADHD, autism, apraxia, eating disorders, sleep disorders, toileting issues, stubbornness, temper tantrums, wandering.... Of course, anyone can have a kid with autism that doesn't have Ds, but children with Ds are much more likely to have autism than most kids, autism and probably also all of the other issues I mentioned and more that I didn't bother to list. Having a child with Ds is no walk in the park; it takes a lot of effort and provides a lot of heartache. All that said, that stuff no one wants you to hear until after you have decided not to have an abortion, I know I did make the right decision for my life. My son fills my heart with joy; he's a fabulous kid, a fabulous kid with lots and lots of major problems, but.... Well, if you knew him, you would know what I'm talking about. What a charmer! The sweetest boy! And cute! And such a comedian! What enthusiasm! He fills my heart with joy but also with sadness. He has a great life now, but the chance of him having a great life after I'm too old to provide it are, unfortunately, pretty slim. Who's going to take care of him? He won't be taking care of himself. He only has one sibling, one who loves him, but he has his own life to live. My son takes most of my time, but I don't have to make a living; who else will ever be able to devote their life to making a great life for him? I fear no one will. I can try my best to put him in a good situation, but I know that we don't have, the state doesn't have, his brother may never have the kind of money it would take to provide for him in the way he deserves. Worry about his future is always in the back of my mind, but I live day to day and make sure he has lots of wonderful opportunities and experiences. And he and I do really enjoy a fabulous life, for now at least.

[andreasro]

Hi Janice,

A warm welcome from all of us!
I wish you and your children to find a way for each of you to live a great life, with joy, and wonderful things, more joyful moments that sad ones!
I don't have a DS child but I think that your worries are normal and I hope there's a way for your child - and any DS or special needs child in general - to live a life as he needs to, no matter if you or his brother are around.

Andrea

[Lovelightlaughter]

  Hi everyone.
  I am thrilled that I have found this forum. I haven't started using the free trial but I am eager.
  My daughter has Down Syndrome and is the Joy of our lives. She is also taking alternative medicine treatments to keep her healthy and her memory sharp. She is learning two language and has been signing the alphabet since 2. So, it is time to get real and to the point. She needs to started reading and my goal is that she will by the nd of the summer when she will start attending an inclusive classroom.
 Anyway. I am happy to have found you all so that I can get support and help with this journey. I am not very good with computers and we have a mac so I am a little nervous...

 Looking forward to getting to know you all a little through LR

[andreasro]

Welcome lovelightlaughter!  I'm sure you'll find here helpful things!

Andrea

[Bragg Kids Mom and Dad]

Hi everyone!
I'm new here.  I have 4 children. The youngest,almost 11 months, has down syndrome.   He is the reason I am here.  I had briefly heard of teaching babies and toddlers to read, but had never considered trying.  All my reseach to help my son acheive his highest potential has led me here.  I downloaded the free trial versions of LR and LM and I am so excited about them.  I can't wait to get started.  I want to use it for my 3 year old as well.  We homeschool our oldest.  He is almost 7.  We also have a girl that will be 5 in 3 months, who will we will start officially homeschooling within the next few months.

[Skylark]

Welcome to the forum! We are happy to have you here. It is wonderful to meet homeschooling parents, like you and I am sure you would have much to offer to other parents on the forum as well.


 

[Lovelightlaughter]

  Hi Everyone!
  I cannot talk about anything yet. We are still getting into this, I mean, getting a Windows computer and all that jazz. However I am totally sold on it.

  mko,  We are bilingual here and I am really thrilled to hear your liittle one is keeping with both languages. It was such a challenge for everyone (but us) to keep my DD bilingual. I finally found a ST that back us up. 
 Do you se LR for encouraging the bilingualism or just for one language?
 It will be nice to hear from you and your experience.

 

[emsmummy]

It's so exciting to see so many parents of children with DS doing this programme, with success.  My journey to acceptance took some time, I had only heard of peoples struggles with their children, mostly within the school system and them not coping with a child with DS.  It's also exciting to see so many other parents taking a different/alternative journey with their child.  We have only just commenced a neuro development programme for my daughter.  This seems like the icing on the cake for us.

[Lovemy3]

Hello!  I have 3 children...my 8 yr old is in the 2nd grade.  I also have a 4 year old son and a 13 month old daughter with DS.  I'm planning on starting the download soon.  I originally planned on using it for my daughter but have decided to work with my 4 year old as well.  I figure it cannot hurt.  I'm excited and crossing my fingers and praying that she enjoys it and we are successful!

[BMsam]

 Hi everyone, I am a soon to be step mom to an amazing almost 5 year old with Down syndrome.  She is a pure joy and has opened my eyes and heart to how wonderful people with Down syndrome truly are.  A mother we met through a DS group highly recommended Brillkids as a learning tool and we are super excited to try “Little Readers”.  She is so smart and full of potential we want to give her every opportunity possible when it comes to her education.

[mommy22]

Hi everyone!

I have two children...my youngest is J. and he is 9 years old. He also has Trisomy 21 ( AKA...Down Syndrome) though we call it Einstein Challenged.

We have been on a Neurodevelopmental program for the past 4 years and a Nutrivene-D supplement. Both have been remarkable in terms of development and health.

J. is also homeschooled as we found the school system was just not in tune with what our son needed to reach his full potential.

I'm excited that J. will have some new material that he can have fun learning with! Now that I won't be spending as much time making flash cards I'm also excited that I can chat with everyone here!!

We both win!!!   

[Smgoddard87]

Hi my name is Sarah. I am a stay at home mom to my 4 year old son Logan and 8 month old daughter Emilee. Emilee has down syndrome and I was referred here by a friend. I can't wait to be able to learn more about the program and I am even looking forward to work on it with my son also.

[andreasro]

Welcome to all newbies! 

[mommy22]

Welcome Sarah!

[rbel]

Hi.  I am a mom with 4 kids:  10, 8, 4 and our little Down Syndrome daughter who is 18 months.  I homeschool my children and have just been researching to find things that might be beneficial to my daughter with DS.  I am encouraged by reading about what others have been doing.  Thank you all for sharing your experiences.  I am hoping to start the Little Reader program this summer with my 18mo and my 4 year old wants to do it too.

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