Our son turned ten years old in April of 1996. When we started the program through NACD he was a month shy of eight years old. We had run the gamut of trying to find answers for him, suspecting M.D. or another muscular disorder, autism, dyslexia, myopia, also epilepsy. A psychologist diagnosed ADD immediately. He…
by Bob Doman Understanding the brain and how it works has been the subject of a tremendous amount of study and research. Exploring such research in college really engaged and intrigued me, particularly when I realized that the knowledge that had been gained in neuroscience was not being acknowledged, reflected, or utilized by the educational…
by Janine Little, as told to Iliana Clift It breaks my heart to say it, but before we started the NACD program Luke was like a wild animal. He dashed here and there, climbed on tables and cabinets, jumped off and started all over again. He rocked precariously on the seat and back of a…
Kaitlyn was eleven years old when she stumbled upon a book I was reading. She brought it to me and, as if she had just discovered a brand new planet, she exclaimed with a sparkle in her voice, “Mom, these kids are like me!” My heart skipped a beat— she was obviously ready to learn…
April 8th, 2014 The National Association for Child Development and the NACD Foundation Announce the Appointment of Kaitlyn and Lisa Law as NACD’s Ambassadors for Down Syndrome. We are happy to announce that Kaitlyn Law, a 23-year old young lady with Down syndrome, and her mother, advocate, and cheerleader, Lisa, have been appointed as the…
by Joanna May, as told to Iliana Clift Existing in survival mode—day… after… day… after… day—is downright exhausting. This was my reality. My son screamed incessantly, hid under the kitchen table, refusing to come out for an inordinate amount of time; played for hours with spinning wheels, or stared dreamily as “Dora the Explorer” and…
by Christi Petrucka Isaac had been struggling with reading and expressing himself for so long, that by the time I heard about the NACD in May 2012, when he was 16, I knew that I was quickly running out of time to help him. It’s not that I hadn’t done anything up to this point….
by Sara Erling “T was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was 4. Before we started with NACD 2 years ago, he had a high-pitched tone in his speech and he was afraid of loud noises. He could not take the regular school bus because it was too loud. He was in a mainstream…
John was talking at 9 months old, saying “stop” at each stop sign we passed on the road, and saying “clock” as we passed his favorite large clock on a building near our home. He waved goodbye to his favorite babysitter at 8 months old. He walked at 12 months old. Then he began his…
Wasatch Peak Academy Davis County School District, Utah 2007/2008 School Year (Appendices featuring additional information and statistics available as PDF Download HERE.) Wasatch Peak Academy is a public charter school in North Salt Lake, Utah. At the request of the principal and special education teacher, the National Association for Child Development (NACD) created a school…