by Bob Doman In my extensive travels I have many opportunities to observe families and their children. Having done so for many decades now, it is blatantly obvious that many parents today must believe in magic. Children are not born with some innate understanding of how to act and behave or, if you will, how…
Few things are harder for a parent than watching your child struggle to say what they are clearly thinking. Children with apraxia know exactly what they want to say. The words are there. The ideas are there. What is missing is the bridge between the brain and the mouth. If your child has been diagnosed…
By Sara Erling There is no one way to parent a child. A set of parents can have five kids and have to parent each one slightly differently. However, having worked with many families who have demonstrated some pretty exceptional parenting ability, there are a few concepts that should be shared with other parents. I…
by Ellen Doman This is a question we hear from many parents. Some children have poor reading skills both in identifying words and comprehending the text, but many children are good readers, meaning good at word identification and able to read quickly, but lack comprehension. So, let’s look at what’s going on and how NACD…
by Dr. Julian Neil Today, we pause to honor the beauty, strength, and profound humanity expressed through those with Down syndrome. For me, this day is deeply personal. It is a celebration of my daughter, Gitane — a true master of the heart. She was born with severe hypotonia, with almost no connection between her…
by Laird Doman I’ll be honest with you. Some nights, dinner at our house looks nothing like what I know it should be. My daughter Arielle is nine. My son Lachlan just turned six. By the time we all sit down together, everyone is carrying the weight of the day. Lachlan is often a little…
by Ellen Doman Parents can become aware of their child’s lack of progress from report cards, meetings with teachers, standardized test results, or even helping with homework. It’s a terrible feeling to realize that your child isn’t learning as well as is expected, particularly when you may not have been previously aware of it. A…
And Why Trying to Use It for One Could Set You Back by Laird Doman At NACD, we love innovation. We’ve embraced cutting-edge neuroscience, data, and technology for decades. But one place we’re drawing a very firm line? Trying to use Artificial Intelligence—especially tools like ChatGPT—to generate or guess what an NACD program might look…
By Bob Doman What is the medical/biological disease model? The medical/biological model is a framework for understanding and addressing illnesses and diseases. Biological Foundation Illnesses and diseases are essentially caused by biological factors, including physiological problems, infections, and genetic disorders. Diagnosis and Treatment Focus is on diagnosing and labeling the disease or illness, with associated…
by Lyn Waldeck Those of us who have passed that 60-year-old mile marker will often ponder the things of our past. What would we do differently? How do we mend past transgressions? What could have been avoided had a different fork in the road been followed? I am no exception. On a personal level, after…