With recent tragedies in the news, many children, including those challenged with special needs, are exposed to trauma through the media and in conversations. The Episcopal Center for Children (ECC), a nonprofit school serving children with special needs ages 5-14 in the Washington, DC area, offers some advice on how to talk with your child about tragedy. “Children hear information from other children and from the activities around them. Your child will pick up information […]
Down syndrome screening isn’t about public health. It’s about eliminating a group of people By Renate Lindeman June 16, 2015 Renate Lindeman is the spokesperson for Dutch parent group Downpride. She lives in the Netherlands. Upon delivering my first child 11 years ago, I heard the words “Down syndrome,” and my world collapsed. Visions of children sitting passively in a corner watching life go by, not participating, kept me awake those first nights as a […]
Only younger siblings struggled in some cases, which researchers said wasn’t surprising. MONDAY, March 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Families of children with Down syndrome face challenges, but by and large their experiences are positive ones, a new study suggests. Researchers found that in 87 percent of families they surveyed, everyone — parents and siblings — said they loved their family member who had Down syndrome, and almost as many families said they felt pride […]
A CDC-funded study in Pediatrics provides new growth charts for children with Down syndrome in the United States. Healthcare providers can use these new charts to monitor growth among children with Down syndrome and assess how well a child with Down syndrome is growing when compared to peers with Down syndrome. Read the abstract of the paper here. What did we already know? Children with Down syndrome have a different growth pattern compared to children […]
Trenton, NJ−Governor Chris Christie has signed ABLE legislation that will allow families the opportunity to set up tax-free 529A savings accounts for disability-related expenses. The bill received unanimous support in votes in both chambers. The legislation was sponsored by Senate President Stephen, Senator Dawn Addiego and Assemblymembers Pamela Lampitt, Louis Greenwald, Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Daniel Benson and Vincent Mazzeo. The New Jersey ABLE legislation follows upon enactment by the federal government of the Stephen Beck, Jr., […]
