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This book explains the best practices and procedures for helping children master the finger and hand skills needed for home and school activities.
Written for parents, health professionals and teachers, this is a guide to understanding and developing fine motor skills in children with Down Syndrome. The author draws on her expertise as a occupational therapist and parent to show readers how to help children develop the hand skills required for such tasks as holding a pencil, cutting with scissors, or using a computer. The author is sensitive to the medical, physical and psychological characteristics of children with Down Syndrome and how these can effect motor development. Dozens of articles are provided, complete with photographs and step-by-step instructions, which are appropriate for children in infancy to early adolescence. In addition to hand skills, some cover basic gross motor skills, which help to lay the foundation for fine motor development. Readers can choose among different categories of skills - self-help, school activities, leisure and recreation - and easily incorporate most activities into daily home or school routines.
Covers speech and language development in children with Down syndrome from infancy through to early adolescence, and what parents and carers can to to help maximise their child's communication potential.
Newly revised and updated, this compassionate and authoritative guide is based on Libby Kumin's more than thirty years experience working with children and adolescents with Down syndrome and their families. As the founder of the Down Syndrome Center for Excellence at Loyola University in Maryland, she draws on her vast experience to show parents how they can support and encourage their child's speech and language development from birth to age 6 (or when a child can form 2- to 3- word sentences). Parents and teachers learn how to work through characteristic challenges, including hearing loss, intelligibility issues, apraxia (difficulty planning oral-motor movements), or a slower pace of development. Families soon see that many children with Down syndrome are natural and willing communicators. In a warm and conversational style, the author shares her professional expertise in parent-friendly terms. She uses specific examples of difficulties and successes to illustrate the concepts behind speech and language development, and includes the latest research supporting current early intervention and preschool approaches that can be used at home and in schools. This third edition of EARLY COMMUNICATION SKILLS features expanded information on the needs of children with apraxia, dual diagnosis of autism and Down syndrome, and updated terminology and information on special education law. A new chapter explains how technology and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) ? smartphones, iPods, iPads, and apps ? can help with speech and language, foster communication, and provide inexpensive transitional language systems. Dozens of forms are now included on a CD-ROM to be used for assessment, developing treatment plans, and keeping detailed records of progress. Teachers, speech-language pathologists, and parents will love the convenience of printing multiple copies of forms and organizing information for IEP meetings or periodic evaluations.
The popular book, Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down Syndrome is now available in a completely revised third edition. The author, an occupational therapist and parent of an adult with Down syndrome, describes how the characteristics of Down syndrome can impact the acquisition and progression of fine motor skills. She presents a thorough overview of the building blocks of fine motor development, from infancy through to adulthood: Early arm and hand control; Stability; Bilateral coordination; Sensation; and Dexterity. Use the book's step-by-step activities to build daily living skills for home and school: Scissor skills; Pencil grasp development; Pre-printing, printing & cursive writing; Keyboard skills; Computer & tablet skills; and Dressing, grooming, and feeding skills. Throughout the book, the author suggests ways to incorporate fine motor skill development opportunities into as many day-to-day activities as possible, recognizing how impractical it is to constantly be in "therapy" mode with a child. Suggestions for gift ideas are offered in "Grandma's and Grandpa's list" at the end of each chapter. With expanded and updated information on fine motor skills and computer and personal electronic device use, keyboarding skills, postural support, sensory processing, and the adult years, readers will have at their fingertips a cornucopia of information and guidance to support the fine motor development of children and adults.
This thoroughly updated second edition of MENTAL WELLNESS IN ADULTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME is upbeat and accessible in tone, yet encyclopedic in scope. The size of the book reflects both the breadth of the authors' knowledge--acquired as cofounders of the first medical clinic dedicated solely to the care of adults with Down syndrome--and the number of psychosocial issues and mental disorders that can affect people with Down syndrome. It's the go-to guide for parents, health practitioners, and caregivers who support teens and adults with Down syndrome. MENTAL WELLNESS emphasizes that understanding and appreciating both the strengths and challenges of people with Down syndrome is the key to promoting good mental health. It shows readers how to distinguish between bona fide mental health issues and common characteristics of Down syndrome--quirks or coping strategies. For example, although talking to oneself can be a sign of psychosis, many adults with Down syndrome use self-talk as an effective problem-solving strategy. The second edition includes new chapters on sensory issues (written by Dr. Katie Frank) and regression, expanded and now separate chapters on communication, concrete thinking, and visual memory, and an extensively updated chapter on Alzheimer's disease citing abundant new research. Other chapters cover a range of conditions and assessment and treatment options: What Is Normal? Self-Esteem & Self-Image Self-Talk Grooves & Flexibility Life-Span Issues Social Skills Mood & Anxiety Disorders Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Psychotic Disorders Eating Refusal Challenging Behavior Self-Injurious Behavior Autism Tics, Tourette Syndrome & Stereotypies While it's not inevitable that people with Down syndrome will experience mental health problems, certain biological differences and environmental stressors can create greater susceptibility. Assessment and treatment options are detailed for each condition. With this guide, caregivers will be able to foster good mental health and troubleshoot challenging mental health issues.
Parents of children with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities are accustomed to paying close attention to their child's physical, cognitive, and emotional development. This proactive approach should also include their child's sexual development, which for many parents may not seem as obvious or urgent, especially to those with young children. Drawing on her unique background as both a sexual educator and mother of a child with Down syndrome, the author blends factual information and practical ideas for teaching children with Down syndrome about their bodies, puberty, and sexuality. This book gives parents the confidence to speak comfortably about these sometimes difficult subjects. In an easy-to-read, non-clinical style, the book covers relevant issues and concerns for children of all ages, such as: Labelling & explaining private body parts; Identifying & expressing emotions; Respecting personal space; Teaching self-care & hygiene; Understanding norms of privacy; Understanding gender identity; Showing appropriate levels of affection. It also covers later issues that affect teenagers and young adults, including: Anticipating and understanding puberty; Dealing with periods, bras for girls; Experiencing erections, wet dreams for boys; Relating to the opposite sex; Sharing parental values about sexuality; Explaining sexual relationships; Preventing sexual abuse; Understanding how Down syndrome affects puberty & fertility rates. Each chapter highlights important points with key messages, teaching activities, parental pauses, and anecdotes, all of which prompt readers to stop and consider concepts or values associated with a particular topic. The final chapter covers the special concerns of parents who are now teaching teenaged or adult children about sexuality for the first time. It concludes with extensive appendices containing invaluable teaching materials and illustrations of body parts and functions.
People with Down Syndrome show a specific developmental profile with strengths in social understanding and visual learning and memory, and more difficulties with motor processes, speech and language, and auditory-vocal short-term memory. It is important that parents, practitioners and teachers know this and adapt interventions and educational approaches to take account of this particular profile. This is the only book to date that explains the developmental profile of people with Down Syndrome from its many different angles. It covers a range of perspectives, including the biology, psychology, speech and language, health care, and social competence of both children and adults with Down Syndrome. All the information is gathered and placed in the context of the neuro-genetic science that is developing around this area.
