Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 31! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 Challenge. Feel free to share these posts to help spread awareness and acceptance.
We hope you have enjoyed our advocating efforts, posting information and facts about Down syndrome every day in October. One of the reasons we started this group was to encourage families to become strong advocates for their loved ones with Down syndrome. As we continue to grow as an organization we hope that families with openly share with us, the programming they would like to see as well as any areas where they need support or resources. Our goal is to become a valuable resource for the Nebraska Down syndrome community. We would like to end our 31 days of blogging with this video originally made for World Down Syndrome Day, and updated a bit to represent Down Syndrome Awareness Month. We hope you enjoy. Did you know you can be an advocate without even speaking? One way to do so is to wear a t-shirt or button that spreads awareness about Down syndrome. We make multiple buttons that are fun, attractive and can help you spread awareness. Here is just a few of the buttons we make. You can choose one of these, or we can design one with your favorite saying or a photo of your loved one. Suggested donation is just $4 per button and all proceeds go to Down Syndrome Advocates in Action Nebraska. Buttons can be made with a pin or a magnet back. If you would like to find out more about our button advocating, please email [email protected]. Happy Advocating!
Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 28! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 Challenge. Feel free to share these posts to help spread awareness and acceptance.
ADVOCATING AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN ADVOCATE by Deb Safarik We’ve been talking a lot about advocating and what it means to be an advocate. Too many times we think that advocating is synonymous with fighting. Fighting for our child’s rights. We fight for opportunities, for curriculum accommodations or modifications. We fight for our children to be included with their peers. We fight for meaningful ways to test just what our kids have learned and understand. All of this advocating/fighting is real, legitimate and important. But there are other ways to advocate that don’t have to make us feel like we are sometimes “at war” with the whole world. We advocate for our kids when we include them in our day to day activities, take them on errands with us, go to their siblings games or concerts, enroll them in typical activities like swimming lessons, summer programs, sports programs, going to the library story time, or going out to eat, etc. Taking advantage of age appropriate activities for our kids helps create awareness, it allows the public to see and be around our kids, we build awareness and advocate that they are a part of our community. Of course it’s not always easy. Sometimes these experiences need some modification and extra support. We need to teach our kids how to act appropriately in public. There needs to be consequences if a behavior problem occurs; natural consequences are best. I told all my kids, including Paul, if they wanted to come back to somewhere they had to be willing to leave. I made up this great scenario that the next time they asked me to say, go to the park, I needed to have a good memory of how nicely they left when it was time to go. Otherwise, I said, if I remembered how they kicked, screamed and ran away, I certainly wouldn’t want to go through that again! (I told the story with great drama. I think it made an impression.) Parents are the experts on their kids. We know how they react in new situations, but they can also learn and grow from being exposed to different opportunities. Pre-practicing how to act in a challenging situation really helps. Pre-talking how things will go helps. Being sure you have favorite toys, snacks, friends or family along will help your kids feel more comfortable. It’s important to not always take “no” for an answer. I remember if I was reasonably sure I was putting Paul in a situation I knew he would enjoy I either didn’t give him a choice or if he said, “no” we still did it. Getting comfortable in a new situation takes a little practice for any of us, even more so for our kids. Advocating can be a fight but it can also be a way to bring awareness to others so they know how great our kids are, what they can do, and how they are more alike than different! It is one of the main reasons we are participating in the 31 for 21 challenge. What are you doing to bring awareness to your freinds and families? A little bit can go a long way. Happy Advocating! Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 28! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 Challenge. Feel free to share these posts to help spread awareness and acceptance.
Ball Night is an evening for families who have a loved one with Down syndrome to come and get some exercise, visit with other families and have some fun. Families enjoyed pizza, decorating pumpkins and interacting with Husker Athletes. This popular event was enjoyed by both adults and kids alike. We would like to congratulate our Door Prize winners, Camile E who won the decorated pumpkin, Joshua B who won the slate tile and Gina C who won the buttons. Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 27! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 Challenge. Feel free to share these posts to help spread awareness and acceptance.
Resources. Sometimes it is easy for families to find resources for their loved one with Down syndrome. Other times it is not. One of our goals as advocates is to help families find the resources they need to help improve the lives of their loved ones with Down syndrome. Tonight we were proud to represent the Down syndrome community at the first annual Trick or Treat special needs resource fair in Lincoln. There was good food fun costumes and information from multiple sources. We met some great families who have awesome kids and connected with a few new ones also. Overall it was a good night. Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 25! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 Challenge. Feel free to share these posts to help spread awareness and acceptance.
Sometimes families who receive a new diagnosis of Down syndrome, just don't feel they can handle raising a child with special needs. When that diagnosis occurs prenatally, the medical field tends to recommend termination. However, for some people termination is just not an option that aligns with their personal beliefs. Adoption is an option that need to be presented to new families as a viable option to termination. . One thing that may be shocking to learn is that babies with Down syndrome are in demand. The average number of families waiting to adopt a baby with Down syndrome domestically, is around 200. Still more families travel oversees looking to rescue children with Down syndrome from orphanages and mental institutions. Organizations like the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network help families in the US and Reece’s Rainbow, helps connect families with children internationally. Both are outstanding organizations. Please check out both organizations and keep advocating for babies with Trisomy 21 who are in need of a family. Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 26! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 25! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 challenge. Feel free to share these posts to help spread awareness and acceptance.
![]() Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Day 24! We are celebrating by posting information about Down syndrome each day in October, during the 31 for 21 challenge. Feel free to share these posts to help spread awareness and acceptance. Hypotonia or low muscle is common in individuals with Down syndrome. When a person has low muscle tone they often have to work harder to accomplish everyday tasks. Things like sitting upright in a chair, holding a pencil or playing a game at recess becomes much more tiring for individuals with Down syndrome. Just like the typically developing population, individuals Down syndrome have to worry about weight gain as they get older. However, since gross motor activities require so much more effort, some children with Ds can start to face this challenge at a much earlier age. As an organization, Down Syndrome Advocates in Action understands how important exercise and activity is to all of our families. For this reason we try to incorporate some type of physical activity into many of our events. This Friday October 28, 2016 we are having a Down Syndrome Awareness Month Ball Night Celebration, with basketball, balloons, pumpkin decorating, karaoke, pizza and more. Our special guests will be around 15 Husker Athletes. This free event is being held at St. Mark’s Church on 84th and Pioneers in Lincoln from 5:30-8. Register here so we make sure to bring enough pizza and pumpkins. Hope to see you there! |
AuthorDown Syndrome Advocates in Action Nebraska, is a group for parents run by parents.
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