So we felt very alone as we tried to figure out what was going on. For the first year of Jake’s life we frequently felt alarmed as we noticed non-typical behaviors and responses, but they were subtle, and as he was such a smiley, happy and alert child, we were told not to worry. 

Then we noticed that our child wasn’t learning properly. He was late with walking and talking. He never crawled. We had done the alternative method of potty training from birth so he skipped crawling and instead bounced around on his bottom. I noticed that he never signed back to us, communication being a part of the early potty training method. He was late to walk and talk and even then, he would come up with a word, say it exclusively and constantly for a few weeks and then forget it. When we taught him things like how to clap, we had to practice it for a while every day before he would try to imitate it, then if we didn’t practice it daily, he would forget that too. His adorable little body seemed oddly stiff, he didn’t cuddle in like most babies did and while he would sit there and smile, he seemed lost in his own dream world and did not respond to much around him. 

After rounds of specialists, three days after the birth of our second child, when Jake was 19 months old, we were given the diagnosis of Potocki-Lupski Syndrome, a genetic disorder, a replication of a tricky part of chromosome 17. The pediatrician gave us some pages photocopied from a sterile medical textbook listing the myriad of things that our child was never supposed to do and all the difficulties that he would face throughout life. We were floored and devastated. I leapt into research but everything I found on his diagnosis upset me more and I spent the first few months of our second child’s life crying. I remember asking another pediatrician about what Jake could be expected to achieve in his life and he told me proudly about a similar child who had made his first independent phone call with some limited language by the age of 18. While I understand now how incredible these milestones are for families of children with special needs, however as a new parent at the time, I did not find that information comforting. I asked another doctor what “developmentally delayed” meant, hoping that it meant he would just catch up later. She gently told me that it was a polite term for “mentally retarded”. Indeed as my darling baby could not even master or remember “clap”, how on earth was he going to build higher order skills to handle life? 

Fortunately we have always been alternative minded and I managed to shake myself away from depressing mainstream research. I turned to Down’s Syndrome as a more commonly known genetic disorder, figuring that some clever parent there had found some breakthroughs for their child. And indeed I was right! After scouring FB pages and parent groups, I found in the Down’s Syndrome world that amazing things were happening for children who had either one or both of two things: biomedical intervention and neurodevelopmental therapy. So we decided to launch into both. It took a few years to get going with the biomedical, but with NACD we were able to start immediately. Out of all the neurodevelopmental organizations I liked NACD the most as they had a program that cut to the chase with the most time effective and modern methods, and they also offered ongoing parent support and coaching which as a floundering and disorganized parent, I knew I would need. 

At the time we stared, I remember Jake had a lot of unusual behaviors, every time he saw the ocean he would freeze and stare it and refuse to move on. As we lived in a small island community glimpses of the ocean were frequent. He’d open and close cupboard doors, arrange things in straight lines and never wanted to interact with other kids. He had very limited speech, and all sorts of motor skills problems. He could not even pedal a tricycle. 

I can’t remember much about that time now quite honestly. I was frequently sick and exhausted from having 2 children close together and with an undiagnosed autoimmune condition in the background. My husband and I did program as best as we could though and I remember starting to feel hope. Jake’s mind started to unlock, he started to be able to learn and we discovered he had a few superpowers, an amazing ability understand and order numbers, remember items on sight and he could even say his alphabet backwards. For a child diagnosed with a severe short term memory problem, this felt like sunshine from the heavens. NACD kept guiding us with program and as a family we were feeling more and more normal every day. We started a biomedical approach with specially developed Nutrivene vitamin supplements around the age of 4 and then everything really came together, Jake seemed to “wake up” to a new level of awareness, his speech and motor skills took off and we were so happy. Our second child, typically developing was put on program too and he was well ahead with all his milestones. 

While I don’t remember too many details of that time now, suffice to say we went from despair, hopelessness and rounds of specialists who used lots of big words but actually did nothing to actually help, to feeling like a happy, hopeful and normal family. We no longer felt like a “special needs” family. Program was very hard in those first years, but we were getting results and our lives back! It was wonderful to finally feel like a “normal” family.

We moved overseas then and stopped our NACD program for many years, happy to just live a normal life. Jake still had challenges, but he doing so much better. He started school with an aide but his superpowers really helped him through, from a child who couldn’t remember how to clap he now had the most astonishing memory! He had a phenomenal ability with geography, and started winning the school’s geography contests from first grade. He beat all the high school kids and even the school superintendent when he stepped in as a special guest. He knew every country, capital, flag, location, shape, and once he mastered that he turned to history and somehow developed an incredible grasp of historical details on top of that too! 

We started formal homeschooling formally around third grade when the covid lockdowns started and muddled through that for a few years. When Jake hit puberty it became apparent to his father and I that he needed further help. He was still having a lot of trouble with reading, he’d been recently diagnosed with an eye tracking problem but the mainstream offered us nothing except devices to learn to live with it. We had tried everything but gotten nowhere. He still had struggles with social skills and motor skills, and while his speech was reasonably good, it was still hard for him. 

As the worry started rising again, we turned to the place where we’d found hope before, the NACD! And in just 7 months back the results have already been incredible! Jake started in November at an auditory processing of 4-5 and in 7 months is has now just touched on a 7! His maturity and awareness has developed in leaps and bounds with it. His eye tracking is improving and reading is getting easier for him every day. He can swim now, and his social skills are improving. He has developed a love for math as the NACD teaches it, and will joyfully tackle page after page of his math text book just for fun. Before NACD he struggled with basic concepts. He is taking off and once again we couldn’t be happier. My only regret is we didn’t get back to it sooner, but fortunately NACD is helping us to catch up and overcome for that lapse quickly! 

I should mention my second son, DJ too. While typically developing he did program for a year or two when he was barely a toddler, and he has continued to go from strength to strength. When he started school the testing they gave him said that he was in the top 1% and was considered gifted and talented. When he was 9, he started getting impatient with all the attention Jake got for his his impressive history and geography knowledge and told me he wanted a superpower too. After watching Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on you tube he decided that it was a pretty nice song, and he wanted to play it. He slowed down the finger movements from a You Tube video and copied them. Within just a few months he was playing piano surprisingly fluently. A music teacher at a summer camp a few months after he started hailed me down one day with wide eyes asking me if I knew that DJ was unusually talented. He is now 12 and works in our community playing piano at events. He is well paid and makes great tips too! 

Everything that DJ does he does so easily and at a high standard. Around the age of 10 he the took up the Rubik’s cube, mastered it in record time and at high speed. It didn’t take him long to get to world competition speeds on nearly of the all the cubes, but then he lost interest and moved on. He is very entrepreneurial, and through primary school would frequently came up with new games or projects which fascinated and created a following amongst other kids. 

Previously homeschooling DJ in math was not working and he had seemed to be going backwards so I put him back in school for math. He was doing reasonably well, but after starting NACD for just a few months his teacher contacted me in amazement asking what we were doing as in the MAPS testing DJ had suddenly jumped from a 6th grade level to an 11th grade level almost overnight! Here’s the message I got from his teacher: “Hey Melissa, just wanted to share some great growth from DJ on our winter math Maps test! He improved his score by +18 points from his fall score! (+3-5 is a significant amount for a year so this is pretty impressive!). Went from a 6th grade average to testing at the 11th grade average! Very proud of him and the hard work he has put in.” A jump of 18 points in a season when 3-5 is a significant amount for a year? Wow. The only thing we had done differently was to start NACD again and get to work on his processing! 

Would DJ be doing so well without the early intervention of NACD in making sure his development was all so perfectly addressed? I guess we will never know but as a mom I am sure NACD had a lot to do with it! 

NACD are truly miracle makers. Sara, our evaluator has laser vision and doesn’t miss a thing. Our program is perfectly tailored to both children, exactly what they need. The parental support and coaching is beyond invaluable. Any behavioral, teen attitude issue is quickly nipped in the bud, and we have a smooth running household now where my boys help out, are well behaved, and are developing into responsible, helpful young adults with initiative. Amy is a coaching wonder woman, and has helped me tremendously to get my act together. NACD offers a whole family, whole life perspective that gives you the perfectly tailored program to your child and life, with the support you need to put it into action, while missing nothing. Chores, responsibilities, and the child’s personal growth and happiness are all a part of it. And guess what? The kids love it. They think homeschooling is fun. Working on processing is central, and we celebrate every step up. Processing parties are the new fun thing in our family! 

Our life can truly be measured in BEFORE and AFTER NACD. All the behind the scenes staff are incredible too, and I can honestly say that I feel like they are family, a group who has always been there for us, giving us the answers and support we need to live our best lives. We are living our dream in remote Alaska, a wild and different life, unconstrained from needing to be in city centers, near specialists and therapists. Life is happy, hopeful and wonderful and I will be forever grateful. 

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We began our journey at NACD after finding a school system unable to help our daughter with Down syndrome to make progress and keep learning. The limitations they keep putting on her were really frustrating and we knew she was completely capable to achieve way more, only if we just find the right tools, and NACD was the answer we were looking for.  

Ever since she started her program at NACD she has made so much progress in many different areas — physically, academically, cognitively and with her verbal communication. Having the right support with the right program that keeps the focus on her own needs, has been life changing and nothing compares to prove that if given the right support she can go far, where the sky is the limit.

Along the way, as I kept learning about neuro development and how each kid can achieve their potential if everything is in place, we decided to bring our youngest daughter, since she was showing a few signs of some underdevelopment by reversing numbers with tactile and auditory sensitivity, so she began with program and it was the best decision ever. The meltdowns and very low levels of frustration tolerance are gone. That changed our life as parents and hers!  

Today with NACD guidance and the tailored programs for each of them we are at different place, we know that if we just keep putting the daily intentional work, it will completely pay off. Every milestone achieved reminds us that every effort is so worth it!   

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Nine years ago, I gave birth to a precious baby girl. Her Daddy, two year old sister Claire, and I were so excited to welcome her into our family. Five days after Alice was born, we received a surprise diagnosis; Alice had Down Syndrome. After the shock and initial grief, I immediately wanted to know everything that I could do for Alice to make sure that she would have every opportunity to grow and learn and do all the things that other kids get to do. I was discouraged with information that I got going down the rabbit hole of the internet, about how kids with Down Syndrome will never do this, or never do that, or struggle with this. I was worried that Alice would never speak, read, potty train, or gain self help skills that would lead to independence or a connected, meaningful life. I made endless appointments with health care specialists to make sure she was as healthy as possible, and I sought help from early intervention specialists. They gave me a few things to work on, but each specialist and therapist was only looking at their small piece of expertise. And Alice’s therapists only came once a month, and gave me maybe three things to try. I wanted to know what else I could do; I knew there must be more I could do to help Alice learn. 

It was then that a friend of mine from church told me to look up NACD, and how it had helped her two girls with autism so much. Now I knew these girls. One you would NEVER know was on the autism spectrum, and the other was maybe a bit socially awkward, but that was it. These were intelligent, educated and accomplished girls. At first I was skeptical, but I bowered my friends introduction seminar given by Bob Dowman. It was amazing! I have a degree in Elementary Education, and had taught school for 4 years. As I was listening, so many things made so much sense! It resonated with me on such a deeper level, and I knew that this was the right place for us.

At this point, Alice was 8 months old. We met with Sara Erling for the first time to have Alice evaluated. It was amazing! We were given a program to help my whole child, and there was definitely enough to do. We were now giving Alice the speech, cognition, and physical input that Alice needed with the correct frequency, intensity, and duration everyday. Some things that we were asked to do were opposite the vastly popular opinions of early intervention specialists, but we trusted NACD and I am so glad we did!

Alice learned to talk, having so many words so much earlier than so many of her peers with Down Syndrome. After so much work, Alice learned to army crawl, then crawl, then walk with correct cross pattern, and the right gait to help her not have problems in the future. Alice learned to dress herself, and she potty trained! She is 100 percent independent for bathroom needs during the day, and has been for 3 years; this is a milestone that so many of her peers with Down Syndrome have not accomplished. Alice is reading at an early 2^nd grade level, and still going. Alice can do chores, and even make her own breakfast, something she is very proud of. All of the things that I was afraid that Alice would never do, she is doing already, and she just turned 9.

Do we sometimes get stuck in Alice’s development? Yes, but with one email to my mentor, we figure out how to make progress, although it may be slow at times, it is steady. We never stay stuck. NACD has been the most powerful partner in my parenting! Every time I do not know what do to, I can call and get specific help that addresses any behavior or problem at the developmental root. We are not just putting bandaids on problems or hoping a medicine will magically fix a behavior. NACD knows how to make changes, and what needs to be in place in order for function to improve in all areas. This partnership applies to all of my children. They have all been on NACD at different times with difference intensities, and I have seen them grow academically, behaviorally, physically, and socially.

One of the best things about NACD and our journey with Alice, is that her potential and progress is not limited. Sometimes I get discouraged that Alice is behind her typical peers and not doing what they are. Then I remember, that she is not doing it yet. Alice is smart, and capable, and can continue to make progress. With the right input, and time, Alice will continue to learn and progress. I do not have to be a slave to the special education system provided at the school. Alice does attend right now, because she loves it socially and it gives me time with my younger children, but her teachers are on board with what we are doing at home and even do reps at school. I have control of what Alice is learning at home, and it will not matter if I have to homeschool her eventually, I will have all the help and tools I need to make sure she can progress.

If you are a parent with a child with Down Syndrome reading this, I see you. I know that you may be looking for more for your child; more help, more hope, more function. You will find it here. I love to talk to parents with kids that have Down Syndrome and I would be happy to answer any questions about our journey with NACD. I am so grateful that we found it when Alice was young, and that I have a partner to do this thing called raising children with. It really has changed our lives, and blessed our family immensely and will continue to do so.

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I knew when my husband and I adopted Jonathan as a newborn with Down’s Syndrome that he would face challenges in his development; however, I thought that our love for him, coupled with hard work, would be enough to help him achieve his developmental milestones. By the time Jonathan was two years old, we realized love and hard work were not enough. Though Jonathan had been part of our state’s early intervention program, we saw him falling further behind and did not know how to help him move forward in his development. We homeschooled Jonathan’s three siblings and wanted to give Jonathan this experience as well, but realized we did not have the expertise to handle his unique needs. As we investigated NACD, we realized we had found what we were missing: professionals who had the specific knowledge needed to remediate each of Jonathan’s developmental challenges. Their knowledge plus our love and hard work allowed Jonathan to reach those early milestones of walking and talking and so many more. NACD looked at Jonathan as a whole person. Their program activities not only addressed Jonathan’s academic needs but also his language development, fine and gross motor skills, sleep and nutritional needs and his behavior. This comprehensive approach allowed us to confidently homeschool Jonathan as we did his three siblings. NACD respected our role as Jonathan’s primary teachers and empowered my husband and I to give Jonathan a quality education.

Jonathan has been with NACD now for 27 years. Step by step the NACD program activities have guided us in helping Jonathan to progress to his next level of development. We saw his low muscle tone improve allowing him to walk, jump, run, dance, exercise and participate in sports. We witnessed his speech progress from single words to complete sentences allowing Jonathan to participate in conversations. Specific, targeted activities guided us to help him recognize numerals, count, add, subtract, multiply, divide and do all of these operations with fractions and decimals. Perhaps the most exciting milestone to witness was watching Jonathan discover the written word. The NACD activities led us incrementally to help Jonathan unlock the skills needed to read. What a blessing reading has been for Jonathan! Reading is one of Jonathan’s favorite leisure activities! The targeted activities provided by NACD staff have also aided us in helping Jonathan have appropriate behavior, from handling inappropriate outburst to treating others respectfully. Thanks to the knowledge and support from the staff at NACD, we have been able to guide Jonathan into adulthood as a successful, high functioning young man who is employed, who contributes to his community, and who has a positive influence on those who know him. As a son, Jonathan is a joy!  

We continue with NACD because Jonathan continues to grow, to mature and to move forward as an individual. At each NACD evaluation we are asked, “What are your concerns about Jonathan?” “What do you most want to focus on at this time?” I appreciate that our input as parents is valued and respected. I also appreciate that when we voice a concern, the problem isn’t just diagnosed; it is addressed, and we walk away with specific, targeted activities to help Jonathan solve the problem. In addition, we walk away encouraged and energized to continue helping Jonathan reach his full potential.

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Jacob was born at home with a birth diagnosis of down syndrome. From the moment the NICU doctor mentioned the possibility of Jacob having down syndrome and belittling his worth at only 1 hour old, I made it a life goal to always be his biggest advocate and never feel satisfied with ‘good enough’. Jacob has experienced so many challenges in life but continues to persevere through all of it without hesitation. Through the million appts and early intervention therapies starting soon after birth, it felt like our house had a revolving door. Being a doctor of physical therapy myself, I was never satisfied with the therapies Jacob was receiving and especially was not satisfied with the therapies, nor the support, of early intervention. The constant advocating in that realm became overwhelming and unfruitful. Jacob was slowly reaching physical milestones but still had no verbal communication and was cognitively struggling.

As Jacob approached 3 years old, all therapists were telling me that life would be too difficult if I tried to homeschool him like I started to homeschool his older sister, Abigail. They told me that I would never have a life if I didn’t send him to preschool to get all his therapies in. Considering how exhausted I was with a 5 year old, 3 year old and a 1 year old, I caved and tried to go public preschool route with therapies carved into his days. After the initial IEP meeting, I knew this was not going to work as the head teacher told me “I don’t have time to write in a communication notebook each day for your son when I have so many kids I’m in charge of”. So I told them I would not be sending him to preschool but just come in multiple times a week for therapies. During the evaluation for his therapies, the speech therapist made the same joke twice, saying to her colleague, “Do you think Jacob will qualify for therapies? HAHA of course he will he has down syndrome”. Again, his worth was ridiculed and we tried therapies with them for a few months (since private therapy was so expensive) and then realized my gut was correct all along. I would homeschool Jacob. And I would find outside
therapies to help him be the greatest he can be.

After being on a 6 months waitlist for private therapies which were a 1 hour drive away from our home, we finally got on the schedule. I was ecstatic and although my PT eyes did not approve of everything they were doing in therapy, I thought I must be scrutinizing too hard. Life was busy..babysitters, doctors appts, therapy appts, homeschooling, helping my husband run his plumbing business, tending to our farm, etc. Life was around the clock. Not to mention I would stay up most nights until 1am researching about how to give the best life to Jacob.

Through the grace of God, while on a hike with my sister and our 6 kids about 6 months into private therapies, we met another homeschooling group of moms, one of which sought me out. I don’t often like to get questions in regards to Jacob and the pity people give for having such a hard life, but this mom was different. She came over to me and asked if Jacob had down syndrome. After I said he did, she told me very kindly that I needed to look into NACD because her brother with down syndrome was on program for as long as she could remember and he is now speaking at international conferences. My ears couldn’t believe what I was hearing but I went home that night and contacted NACD. I usually do tons of research into everything but I didn’t need to do that with NACD. I knew right away they were my little piece of heaven coming to help me out of a tough spot that was supposed to just be accepted as the norm. Like I said, I would not settle for “good enough” and I knew there was something missing to help give Jacob the best chance at living a normal life. Not to mention, I quickly signed Abigail up to be on program as well for things I just accepted as normal 6 year old behavior. Whole health needs to be just that, whole health. Having every doctor and therapist be on a different page and see the child 1-2 times a week is doing nothing for the overall growth of the brain.

After only a few months into our NACD journey, we are a completely changed family. Let me briefly describe what life used to look like so you can understand what I mean. We used to have one of our kiddos coming into our room 3-5 times a night and ending up sleeping in between my husband and I every night. We would wake up exhausted, aggravated, impatient, and argumentative and you can’t run a family well with those emotions in tow. We would be falling asleep while walking. We would have no energy to help with sibling disputes. We had no clue how to discipline our kids. Most meals would be loud screaming and throwing food or forks and usually hitting one of us square in the face. Most car rides were loud screaming, which ended up with everyone crying from the noise level and headaches for my husband and myself. Bedtimes took about 1-2 hours as our daughter could not fall asleep without us lying next to her. Theres a lot more I could say but you get the point. Life was rough, let alone the fact that we run our own business, run a farm and homeschool.

Since we started with NACD, it took about 2 weeks to get my oldest daughters emotions and disobeying under control and sleeping in her own bed and sleeping through the night on her own. It took 2 weeks to get Jacob’s throwing and disobeying under control, to figure out the loud yelling and to solve the horrible car rides of noise. Every day my husband and I look at each other in the morning when we are getting ready with NO CHILD in our face and we honestly cannot believe it. Do you understand a little now when I say NACD has completely changed our family? Bedtimes are now easy. Sleeping at night is now happening. Car rides are enjoyable. Homeschooling is prospering. Meal times are more relaxed. Disobeying and arguments are rare. We are finally thriving and not just surviving. I now get to be with my kids all day everyday and I’m not missing out on their lives like I was before with traveling to so many appts. Therapy is now fun and inclusive with the siblings and bringing us together as a family. It’s what it should be.

There are also so many little things Jacob is now able to do since his cognitive functioning has increased. He is able to drink from an open cup, try new foods, realize when he did something wrong and apologize, potty independently, eat snacks with other kids at co-op and not throw their food, show more patience and less screaming, buckle his car seat straps independently, play using his imagination, help with chores, walk the dog alongside us, ride a tricycle with some help, brush his teeth and bathe without screaming, walk through stores without being strapped into a stroller, sit still while I cut his nails and listen to directions.

We will never be able to thank NACD enough. The programs are in-depth and life giving. I won’t say its always easy to have the energy to be super up beat to do the program but considering how much it has given our family, we will always put our best foot forward and make it happen because I know my kids are gaining so much more than we can actually see.

Thank you NACD! We will always be your biggest fan.
James & Amber Gardner

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Our family first heard about NACD in August 2023. We immediately decided that this is the program we have been looking for all along for our son with Down Syndrome. Living in Australia, there is some funding available for therapy, but therapists often don’t have personal experience with clients with Down Syndrome; there are long waiting lists; funding can change from year to year; and funding is only sufficient for therapy sessions once a week or even fortnight. In this system, we did not see Llewy progress much with speech, behaviour, auditory processing, independence in self-care and in the home, and social skills. At 5 years of age, Llewy was mostly non-verbal, using some key words signs and a few words. His behaviour, auditory processing and cognitive abilities had been that of a 2-year-old for some years. NACD have us HOPE for change. NACD’s values of believing in the unlimited potential of all humans made SENSE to us. The approach of working as parents with your children multiple times a day for short periods of time promised faster progress than a 1hour session once a week. NACD stood out as a unique, affordable, accessible and supportive program that we could implement in Australia. 

Since implementing the program, our family life has been transformed. Llewy has learned to communicate in long phrases and sometimes even short sentences. He can tell us his thoughts, preferences and questions. He can share his humour with us—which is a daily delight. He has progressed to the developmental age of a 4-year-old with above prep maths skills. Through NACD, I have felt empowered to homeschool Llewy—therefore changing the trajectory of his whole life with the targeted, one-on-one attention he gets. Our coach, Ellen, has been an angel over the years, providing a detailed program every 3 months and by making necessary modifications and suggestions. Llewy is now contributing actively to the home—folding laundry, watering the garden, weeding, feeding and training our dog, dusting and tidying up various areas of the home. When I started homeschooling Llewy in April 2024, his teacher had asked me what I expected for him to get out of attending school. I was speechless. Now, less than 1 year later, he has learnt to count to 100; skip count by 10s; can complete double digit addition (without carry over), double digit subtraction (without borrow) and one digit multiplication problems. He is learning to read, recognise numbers and play various interactive games. 

Recently, we also started using the program with our older son, who has ADHD. Through NACD we have found out the root cause of his distractibility and have been working steadily on progressing his auditory processing. With NACD, a diagnosis is not the end, rather it is the beginning of targeted, individualised support that allows children and adults to fulfill their true potential.

I have been recommending NACD to many of my friends, because the life changing impact can be observed by all and many other families are desperate to get the support they need. We will be part of the NACD family for many years to come!

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 39 No.2 , 2025 ©NACD

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Below is a message from Dawn Zachmann, a superstar mother of a young man with Down syndrome and autism. Dawn is one of our exceptional parents who has taken her role as parent and grandparent very seriously, to the great benefit of her family and others.

Dawn, mother of 5, brought her then five-year-old son David to see me in 2006. David has Down syndrome and had been diagnosed with autism as well. When I first met Dawn and David, I discovered that Dawn’s husband had just recently passed away. Dawn, with five children and now a single mom, impressed me that she was willing to take on NACD home education and bear the responsibility for David almost entirely on her own shoulders. Within the first year on program, her house burned down, and she still carried on, financially supporting her family through childcare and home educating all her children. In 2012, all while home educating her children, she opened “Small Wonders,” a home daycare, and in 2017 opened her now large and successful childcare center.

David’s story is important, not because his story is one of the typical Down syndrome success stories, of which we have many. David is not one of the kids who now as an adult functions independently, drives, and lives a typical life. David’s level of involvement was and is such that he will be living with some issues throughout his life (not really unlike most of us); but David’s story is a success story, an important success story, because David has made and continues to make a significant contribution to his family and community and has made other lives and the world a better place.

—Bob Doman

David Zachmann

Hello, my name is Dawn Zachmann and I want to tell my story of how I meet Bob Doman and how he has helped my son David and in turn how David has touched and influenced so many lives.

I am the mother of 5 children, one of which has Down syndrome and autism. David was born with a heart condition, which later needed surgery. He has had over 30 surgeries and to say that life for us has been quite stressful would be an understatement. I wanted to help David all we could, we all did, and figured preparing him to be as independent as possible is one of the best gifts I could give him. It was actually my brother who told be about NACD. He said he read an article about the program, so I reached out. It was in 2006 when David had his first evaluation. I was so impressed with Bob’s knowledge about brain function and physical development. He evaluated David and said he could help him. It was pretty intense evaluation, but when we left, I felt a sense of relief. I finally found the person who could help David reach his potential.

One thing I love about Bob is that no matter what the scenario I told him about he always had an answer. I know without a doubt he was meant to be in our lives. In just a few days David received his program. It was very easy to understand because everything was explained in detail. Most of the activities take less than a couple of minutes, are performed a number of times per day, five days a week and produce tremendous results. David loved doing his program and my family noticed big improvements in his behavior and intellectual development. He had sensory issues, which causes him in some situations to have temper tantrums and they slowly became less and less.

After David’s 3^rd evaluation I decided to enroll two of his brothers in the program. I was homeschooling them and felt NACD would help them have a better love of learning. They didn’t always like doing their schoolwork but as a mom I felt like the program they were on was a good one. Well, I was mistaken. Bob discovered some learning challenges with my son Joshua and designed a specialized program just for him. My other son Jacob is a very self-motivated and he also designed a specialized targeted program just for him. When we received their programs both of my boys were so excited and overjoyed with the fact they didn’t have to spend an hour on math every day and hours on their other subjects as well. Joshua started to love learning because his new program was so doable. Bob told me about neuroplasticity and the importance of frequency, intensity and duration and how vital that children’s education be targeted for the. With targeted input children can learn more in minutes than hours. Jacob would wake up, eat breakfast, do some of his chores and then be ready for his program. Life was so much less stressful, and I didn’t worry about them getting a proper education. The program fit us and made life much more enjoyable. Their memory skills, reading comprehension, math and other academic skills improved a whole school year after just three months and we spent only a third of the time on their new program that we had spent on homeschool previously. I wish I knew about NACD when all my children were younger because I think they would have had more of a love for learning earlier in life.

My one and only daughter also joined NACD and has done very well. Bob has taught all of my children the importance of being self-sufficient. My 15-year-old daughter Abigail runs her own online business and makes more money than some adults. My son Jacob purchased his second home by the age of 23 and Joshua has his own online business and helps me run our very large daycare center. Bob has always been someone my children look up to too. They think he is a pure genius and love that he never makes them feel bad when they make a mistake. He taught them how to be responsible, helpful and to work for things.

In 2020 I enrolled all four of my young grandchildren in NACD. My youngest was 6 months and oldest 8 years. I help them all do program and they all love it. Bob told 8 year old Khloe that if she works hard on her program he can have her graduating from high school in a few years. She is super smart and she and her brother Mason test scores as already much higher than their peers.

Ashton was bow-legged when he started walking and Bob designed a program to help straighten his legs out and now at 18 months he walks normally. My granddaughter Madison has a digit span of 6 and she just turned four, I can’t thank Bob and NACD enough for the gift they have given my family. NACD families get a coach who is always available for any questions or concerns about the program. The staff is always friendly and cheerful. I would highly recommend NACD to anyone with children no matter what their situation is. I know without a doubt Bob can help any child reach their potential.

Dawn Zachmann
Happy NACD Parent/Grandparent

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 34 No.7, 2021 ©NACD

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I see that I neglected to mention that Gabriel happens to have Down Syndrome. His parents wanted more for Gabriel than they had been told they could expect. That is what brought them to NACD and also what led them to push him to do better and learn more. In this energetic and outgoing family, Gabriel was expected and is expected to be involved and actively participate in their lives.

The punchline in this story is that Gabriel, now 17 years old, successfully participated in and completed a triathlon with over 400 other people, not special needs people but neurotypical people. He did the biking, the swimming and the running. He completed the course with no special accommodations, no extra help, no short cuts. When I asked him what he learned from this experience and all the work it took to prepare for it, he said, “You have to push through.” I get choked up recalling those words because they are so key to success, so vital to reaching goals. What a mature young man he has become to understand that this is what it takes!

So how did it happen that Gabriel was able to complete such an arduous thing as a triathlon? His mom gives a lot of credit to the coach and the assistant coach of a program designed to turn essentially non-athletic high school students into fit and competitive athletes called the Tri Club. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of work. For Gabriel, there were no exceptions made to the work. The mom describes Gabriel swimming laps every day at the Y, 20 laps, 40 laps, constantly pushing his endurance and stamina. When the family went on vacation, their first thought was to locate a Y so that Gabriel could get his lap swims done. He also did spinning classes and core workouts four days a week. She graphically describes biking in rain and wind with temperatures in the thirties Saturday after Saturday and running every day. She stated that she felt as if maybe they were “crazy people” to be out there on old bikes in the rain and in the cold and then also biking down the side of the road in traffic or at the pool expecting more laps and more laps plus all of the running. They nonetheless persisted with the additional help and encouragement of the assistant coach.

His mom would very much like me to add that Gabriel has been kept on a wonderfully healthy diet for his entire life which has certainly supported his good health and undoubtedly his good attention and demeanor as well. She has often been known as the “green smoothie lady” and is not reluctant to serve things such as pine nut “cheese” when you visit her home. His dad would point to the many responsibilities they have given Gabriel as great groundwork for completing tough tasks as well as their consistently high expectations of him.

All of this work led to Gabriel participating in this huge event among 400+ other athletes. He is understandably proud of his accomplishment but is aware that it took a lot of work to be able to complete such a demanding set of tasks. What lies ahead for Gabriel? Perhaps a more difficult triathlon is in his future. So, moving from his recent victory, he then took on a second triathlon, this one was longer and more grueling involving lake swimming instead of pool swimming and included over twice as many participants. Moving forward we wish, Gabriel much success as he takes on every new challenge.

In addition to training and participating in these events, Gabriel donates some of his time to helping to care for the elderly at a multi-care facility. He plays piano, assists individuals in recreational activities and helps with transporting them to various activities and meals. His charming personality is a most welcome addition to their day and his presence is always appreciated. Gabriel greatly enjoys helping them, so this is a win/win arrangement.

So, with the motto of “push through” and a general ignoring of the alleged limits place upon individuals with Down Syndrome this young man with the support of his family has achieved a great victory for himself and for all those other kids and young adults who have had unreasonable limits set upon them due to a diagnosis. Gabriel is not his diagnosis. Gabriel is a young man in really good shape who is multi-talented and has learned that sustained effort pays off.

NACD Newsletter, August 2018 ©NACD

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Jennie – 33 years old

9-28-2017

Six years ago my daughter Jennie and I moved to St. George, Utah from California. My daughter has Down Syndrome and was 27 years old and had been in special education classes all of her life. At this time I was introduced to the NACD organization and Sara Erling.

Jennie has been blessed to be able to be a beautiful dancer over the years. She has a natural ability to express herself on stage. I saw she was talented and that is was what I concentrated on for her during her growing years. She entered many dance competitions and danced with normal dancers. She has won many trophies.

During her growing years although her special education teachers cared about her and were wonderful dedicated people they did not have the skills to bring out the best in Jennie. Our special children can learn to read, can write their names, learn math and be of service to those around them. One of things I have learned from Sara is to keep my expectations high for Jennie.

Even though Jennie has this special talent for dancing when she started with NACD she couldn’t read, print her name, read words, do math, or talk in 3 to 4 word sentences.

Today she can read, print her name, read words, do simple math, and her talking has increased 75% especially in sentences. She plays the piano, learned to use an iPad and cell phone. Along with all of this academic growth has come her ability to do chores and to help me around the house or grocery shopping. Jennie loves to help. When she wakes up she gets herself dressed, says prayers and then starts on her chores. I never have to force her to do these things. Her chores are to put her dog outside for a potty break, pick up dog poop, empty the dishwasher, put our vitamins out on the counter for me to put together, prepare her favorite Crystal Light orange drink, take her vitamins, vacuum the whole house, and then start her NACD program that I have on her iPad. I do not have to force her or remind her to do any of these things. She is also wonderful about getting me things I need and never complains when I ask her to do that for me.

Jennie is now 33 years old and is continuing to grow, learning at a faster pace and that is all because of the NACD program. I see things all the time that are new that she can do. For example, we were in the car and I asked her something about stop lights. She paused and said “I don’t know” and I said “then I will teach you”. I watched her start her NACD program on her iPad and then asked her to do something for me. Her first thing on iPad is Smarter Kids and she sets the timer for how long she is supposed to do it. Since I interrupted her, I saw her go over and stop the timer so she would still get the right amount of time for her Smarter Kids program.

We are LDS (Mormon) and we are temple-going people. Not all Down Syndrome adults are capable of attending the temple and to do service in the temple, but because of Jennie’s growth and excellent behavior, she was approved for a temple recommend and we go every Wednesday. On a recent trip to the temple, I saw her multitask. She was reciting to me her testimony she had been memorizing, then on her own took out my wallet (which is broken), took off the rubber band and took out our temple recommends and then closed up my wallet, put the rubber band back on and put it back in my purse and during all of this never missed a beat practicing what she had memorized, which was her testimony of her faith. I am seeing things like this happen all the time and that is because her brain is growing. NEVER tell me that any of us are too old to learn and grow.

Concerning pets and our children, they are very important. Jennie was given a miniature Schnauzer dog and she has been like a therapy dog for her. She has helped in increasing Jennie’s ability to talk in sentences.

Our children can have many health problems. Jennie has had a hearing loss all of her life. Three years ago she was diagnosed with celiac disease. For three years now, she has been gluten free and it took three years to get her numbers down. In June she was approved for a cochlear implant hearing aid, but when they did another hearing test her hearing had improved by 75% and I feel that is because she has been gluten free for three years. She still has some hearing loss but will be reevaluated for the implant in December because she is borderline on needing it now. The doctors say she probably has had celiac most of her life and that Down Syndrome children tend to have celiac disease. The one thing I know is that anything we put in our children’s mouths can affect everything in their lives. When I was in the sound booth with Jennie this time, I saw that my daughter could hear.

In closing, I want to stress two things. First, our children are never too old to start the NACD program—never stop working with them. Second, for those with young children, do not give up. If I had done the NACD program with Jennie when she was young, I can only imagine where she would be today in what she could accomplish, but I am so excited with the progress she has made in the past six years.

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EXPECTATIONS HIGH FOR YOUR SPECIAL CHILDREN

—Roberta McClellan & Jennie

A Note On Jennie….

 

I have had the privilege of working with Jennie and her mother Roberta since they started the NACD program six years ago. The biggest thought that comes to me when I think of Jennie is that it is never too late to improve one’s function, therefore significantly impacting their quality of life. Since being on our program, Jennie has come out of her shell. She is communicating and understanding so much more. As a result, she has been able to participate in her church and her community. Jennie is also able to take care of her mother. When they started our program, Roberta did everything at home, while Jennie was not able to help. Jennie has grown so much in her independence and her ability to not only take care of herself, but others. Roberta is amazing. At 80 years of age, she has worked so hard with Jennie to improve her function. She has learned to read and write, and be aware of what needs to happen in the course of a day. We opened Roberta’s eyes even more to the possibility of what can be and that if you put the right input in, with the right frequency, intensity, and duration, then the brain can change. 

For those of you that have adult children who live with you and whom you know need input, know that it is not too late. You can improve their life and your own.

 

—Sara Erling, NACD

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