2020

by Bob Doman

Here we are, at the beginning of not just a new year, but a new decade.

I never quite got the celebration thing. Apparently, the foundation of the New Year’s celebration is to bid farewell to the previous year and welcome the new year. I personally liked 2019. I had the opportunity to see many fantastic changes in hundreds of children.

For our NACD Family, 2019 saw many children with Down syndrome learning to function at levels of their typical peers. Children on the spectrum became more present, tuning in and participating well in our world. We saw children with previous learning and attention issues excelling academically and socially, and “typical” children not only doing great academically, but learning the value of chores and service and being given the opportunity to discover their strengths and passions through our home education programs. And we saw some brain injured children show us what unlimited potential is all about.

I’m thankful for 2019, for the honor and privilege of working with a fantastic dedicated staff and some of the greatest families in the world. Some of our families can measure 2019 by the obvious gains their children have made. The reality is that many of our families do not have an easy road, fighting problems like serious health and seizure issues, or difficult behaviors, and just working hard to get to the point where they can even really seriously implement their program. A step toward better health, better seizure control, less need for medications, and better management of behavior are all things to be celebrated. I celebrate 2019 and our successes, but look forward to 2020 because we can do it even better.

2020 isn’t just a new year; it’s a new decade. Now is a great time to take a step back and reflect over the past year and even the past decade and for us all to evaluate how we can move forward and do it all even better. Truth is, we can all do it better if we commit to it.

We need to establish our priorities, to approach this new year and decade with the intention of working better and smarter. But first, renew and refine your vision. Believe that we and our children have unlimited potentials. We can constantly redefine who we are and take new steps forward toward creating greater and greater visions of what we can accomplish and thus achieve better outcomes.

Parents who are part of our NACD Family–you are not alone. You are part of a powerful team. We not only welcome, we encourage in every way we know how, more communication and interaction. The more communication we have, the more targeted we can be in developing each child’s dynamic program.

Together we can redefine the vision, redefine potential, and not only help our children, but help provide a new vision of what can be for others.

Reprinted by permission NACD Newsletter, January 2020 ©NACD