Today is the last day of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. And, tonight, my son and daughter will go trick-or-treating for Halloween. What is the effect on siblings of having a brother or sister with Down syndrome? Continue Reading
October 28, 2013
Bound by love
October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Here's something new parents likely can't be aware of when they first get the diagnosis that their child has Down syndrome. Continue Reading
October 15, 2013
Down syndrome & National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month
October, it turns out, is a month devoted to raising awareness about many things. In addition to being Down syndrome awareness month, it is also National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Month. Here's where the two overlap. Continue Reading
October 3, 2013
The Transformative Experience of Down Syndrome
Today my local paper ran my op-ed (available here) on how knowing someone with Down syndrome can be a transformative experience. Here are the links for the examples I use in the column. Continue Reading
August 15, 2013
Enjoying the small things: from the diagnosis to now 3 years old by Kelle Hampton
Three years ago, Kelle Hampton burst onto the scene with a telling of how her daughter's diagnosis of Down syndrome was delivered. In a recent post, she shares how her daughter's doing now and what they've learned. Continue Reading
July 10, 2013
Hundreds signing up to adopt a child with Down syndrome should not be surprising
A recent news story reported as a surprising result that hundreds of parents had volunteered to adopt a child when the call was put out. The turnout was indeed overwhelming, but in the end only one couple will adopt this child. Hopefully the hundreds of others will reach out to adopt the many other children with Down syndrome waiting to be adopted. Continue Reading
June 20, 2013
How do you view those labeled “handicapped”?
I was part of the generation that grew up with Mr. Rogers. In his caring way, he taught us many things. Some videos now available on YouTube share his lesson in word and deed on how to view others, particularly those with disabilities. Continue Reading
May 20, 2013
Delivering a Down syndrome diagnosis: the importance of where over when
Two recent articles on how a Down syndrome diagnosis was delivered to parents made me remember an important point about delivering the diagnosis: the importance of where over when. Continue Reading
Creating an ordinary life for an extraordinary person
Do you know about the TED talks? I discovered them several years ago and find them an endless source of inspiration and challenging ideas. The talk featured in this post (and at this link) is one of the best I've seen. Continue Reading