by Debbie Frederickson When Ammon was born he had oxygen problems that weren’t detected until he was six weeks old. When he was three, the Sparks Clinic in Birmingham evaluated him and they said he was “mentally retarded.” When he was about five, we discovered that he had a hearing loss. We were told that he would never learn to … Read More
by Robert J. Doman, Jr. Where does a child’s future lie? How can we determine the potential of a given child? These questions cannot be answered. As difficult as it will seem to a parent, particularly the parent of a child with a problem, the questions shouldn’t even be asked. If someone volunteers an answer, they should not be heard. … Read More
by Robert J. Doman Jr. Down Syndrome is the most common and best known of the chromosomal anomalies. The condition was first described by Langdon Down in 1866. Previously, the children with this anomaly were labeled as Mongoloids. The term was applied to these children because of the somewhat oriental look produced by the epicanthal folds. The folds, which produce … Read More
The picture of the handsome soccer player attached to this narrative is my eleven-year-old son Marcus. To look at his handsome face, one would never believe the story behind this sweet-spirited young man. At this point it seems a little surreal, but to borrow an old cliché, “We’ve come a long way, baby!” My pregnancy was normal, c-section delivery was … Read More
By Lyn Waldeck Our story, which by no means is at its end, began in the mountains. To be specific the Transylvanian Mountains. During Christmas of 1990, a specific child was brought to our attention that was in desperate need of a family. Florin Valc, who later became our son Evan Waldeck, had spent the first two years of his … Read More
By Ann B. Martin, mother of Katherine, UPPED One day at church, a fellow parishioner observed my then 7 year old daughter’s awkward Galt, her flapping hands, and her loud wordless groans. She asked me if I had ever heard of the National Association for Child Development (NACD). This nationwide organization teaches parents how to utilize a multitude of therapies … Read More
by Robert J. Doman, Jr. In 1972 I sent my first Down Syndrome child off to her first day of school, in regular class, in a “normal” public school with “normal” expectations, and no special services. Linda was entering first grade, having spent two years with me at the George Crother’s Memorial School. Linda entered 1st. Grade at the head … Read More
Our three children were classified by the school system as learning disabled. One as neurologically impaired and two as perceptually impaired. As a young mother I believed the school system wanted to help our children succeed and agreed to self contained classrooms for two of the three and supplemental for the third child. This began a learning process, not for … Read More
Cindy Cherie Wade was born May 22, 1976, in Salt Lake City. When the doctors told us that Cindy was born with Down Syndrome, they described a very bleak future and we found the first months of her life to be very discouraging. Not knowing where to turn we searched for help from individuals and organizations, but found little that … Read More
One of the greatest gifts you, Mom and Dad, can give your children is your attention. Face to face talking to your children, particularly your young children, is vitaI. A child’s first and hopefully best and most influential teachers are their parents. Today parents tend to rate their parenting on how nice their house is, how many screens their children … Read More