Down Syndrome

As a parent of a child diagnosed with Down syndrome, you may be feeling unsure of what to do next or where your child's journey will take you. In this book, authors Jen Jacob and Mardra Sikora share their experiences and guide you through life with Ds with expert advice from diagnosis to adulthood. Each page teaches you ways to support your child through major milestones; nurture their development; and ensure that they succeed behaviorally, socially, and cognitively. You'll also find valuable information on:

• Sharing the news with loved ones
• Transitioning into primary school
• Developing your child's social skills
• Discussing future opportunities, including employment and housing options

With The Parent's Guide to Down Syndrome, you will have the tools you need to raise a happy, healthy, and thriving child.

The Remedia Publications resources are ideal for students with learning differences such as ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Speech and Language Delays, Autism, and more,

Remedia workbooks feature a strong focus on basic skills and repetition, a larger type size, simple art that’s not distracting or too juvenile, simple worksheets, and a high-interest format.

Workbooks cover academics such as study skills, critical thinking, language arts, math, and social studies and life skills like budgeting, credit cards, bank accounts, and reading labels.

Help your child develop the social skills they need to make and keep friends and be polite and respectful to everyone else. With 50 engaging activities on bright, colorful pages, Social Skills Activities for Kids gives children the confidence to successfully navigate social situations at home, school, and the world in between. From keeping the conversation ball moving to learning to compromise to practicing good table manners, decoding body language and social cues and respecting personal space, these activities, which include up-to-date topics like bullying and social media, help kids develop and use their social skills super powers. 152 pages, softcover. Ages 6 to 8.

Provide occupational therapy activities in the comfort of your home and watch your child thrive. From eating meals and writing the alphabet to socializing with friends and family, Occupational Therapy Activities for Kids is designed to help children at all developmental ability levels strengthen those skills by playing their way through 100 exciting exercises that are easy to do at home anytime. This family-friendly guide offers concise information on how occupational therapy works and shows you how to apply it in a way that benefits your child. The chapters and activities are organized by the different type of therapy skill: sensory processing, motor, social-emotional, and cognitive and visual processing, starting with the simplest activities that increase in complexity, so you can customize your therapy routine to your child’s needs. 194 pages, softcover. Ages 1 to 6.

Designed to promote learning for children with autism spectrum disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, Down syndrome, developmental disability, cerebral palsy, Aspergers, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities, the Special Kids Learning Series uses the effectiveness of video to help teach important skills. Each program focuses on a specific topic through multi-associative learning (video-audio), modeling of actions/events/proper behavior, repetition, and "the human element" of host John Sprecher.  30 to 40 minute DVDs.

ABOUT THE BOOK: In this life, you WILL experience adversity. Expect it. It is inevitable. But if you understand that struggles and difficulties are opportunities for personal growth, adversity will also be invaluable. Upside Down is a story about how God used a girl with Down syndrome to change a man, a family, a church, and a community. The birth of a child changes life for parents. The initial shock of hearing that their daughter was born with Down syndrome took that change to a different level for Marv and Kerri Loucks. It was a defining moment in their lives. Then, seventeen months after their daughter, Kyle, was born, they faced another major crisis. Kyle underwent surgery to correct a heart defect. The surgery was successful, but she contracted a virus that nearly took her life before her second birthday. That adversity was not the end, but the beginning of something better. Upside Down will encourage you to reflect more, reach higher, grow in your faith, love more unconditionally, give more freely, live more fully, and persevere more intently. It is about finishing the race. Do not get to the end of your life only to find regret. Finish strong. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marv Loucks is a businessman and writer. He is also a retired college basketball official and the founder of Vision 2020, a task force in his community, whose mission is the fight against illiteracy. He writes a daily blog, "With Regard to Life," which can be found at marvloucks.com. Marv lives in El Dorado, Kansas, with his wife, Kerri, and daughter, Kyle.

THEN - Follow along with the author as she learns, at only four months pregnant, that the baby she is carrying has severe heart defects and Down syndrome. Step with her into the delivery room, the hospital rooms, the operating rooms, and into her heart; into her life. Watch as her child touches the lives of everyone around her. Read along with Douglas King, MD, a prominent children's cardiologist, as he discusses the intricacies of Jenessa's heart defects and surgeries. Enter into the neonatal world of care with Georgia Ditzenberger, a dedicated neonatal nurse practitioner, as she articulates Jenessa's earliest days. Journey with the mother through the first three years of Jenessa's miraculous life.

NOW - The original Jenessa's Journey has been edited and added to, bringing you forward into Jenessa's family life eleven years (and four new siblings) later. Meet her sister and two brothers, who also have Down syndrome, and her sister from West Africa. Hear from her older brother. Listen as her father shares his biggest pet peeve. Learn about homeschooling children with special needs. Watch as God weaves together a family full of love, joy, and abounding strength. Jenessa's Journey: Then and Now, is a valuable tool not only for parents, friends, and families of children with disabilities, but for doctors, nurses, and students as well.

What would life look like if you measured your success by improvements instead of victories? Nik Nikic shares the incredible story of his son Chris’s journey to become the first person with Down syndrome to ever complete an IRONMAN® triathlon, inspiring others to achieve their goals by getting 1 percent better every day.

From the moment Chris Nikic was born, his parents knew he could achieve anything he set his mind to do. So when he became involved in triathlons with the Special Olympics, his dad, Nik, took on the role of coach and encouraged Chris to aim even higher. Together, they set their sights on making history—Chris becoming the first person with Down syndrome to complete an IRONMAN® triathlon.

Written from Chris’s father’s perspective, Nik shares the 1% Better mindset that has helped Chris achieve many of his goals—and the underlying principles of the 1% Better system can help you pursue and achieve your dreams too! Through Chris and Nik’s story, learn the benefits of applying the model to your own life and discover how to:

• Overcome the mental hurdles of pain
• Stay motivated using three irrefutable laws of motivation
• See failures as opportunities for improvement
• Form a lifelong habit of success

You may never be the best. But you can be better than your best when you stop imposing self-limitations and begin the journey to reach your goals—one confident step at a time.

Publisher’s Note: 1% Better is written in Nik Nikic’s voice. Chris and his accomplishments are the focus of 1% Better, and Chris is a coauthor of the book as he was interviewed by his father and the writer.

The purpose of this book is to provide a specific group of adults living with intellectual disability, namely Down syndrome (DS), their own unique instrument to assess functional fitness. Previously, individuals living with DS were pooled with individuals living with ID without DS, even though the presence of DS negatively affects functional fitness test performance. The need arose since many adults living with Down syndrome have poor functional ability, live sedentary lives and are overweight or obese. Functional fitness includes parameters such as flexibility, balance, aerobic capacity, functional capacity and muscular strength and endurance. The 14 test items presented in this functional fitness test battery were carefully selected after numerous literature studies and consultations with scholars and specialists who are experienced in working with adults living with DS. Also, extensive pilot studies were conducted in order to select test items best suited to the needs of adults living with Down syndrome. The feasibility, reliability, and validity were determined specifically for adults living with DS. This scholarly book provides an economical and field-based list of test items that can be used to assess, evaluate, and monitor functional fitness. The book aims to contribute to the scientific discourse, reflecting on the functional limitations seen in adults living with DS.

Born in 1975, Kirstin Heddens entered a world where parents were being encouraged to place children with Down syndrome in institutions. But that world was beginning to change, with deinstitutionalization movements and the passage of laws requiring public education for all students. Able to grow up at home with her family, Kirstin enjoyed a typical childhood, attended public school with her peers, and went on to seek her own version of the American dream. For her family, it meant being introduced to a whole new world, the world of those with developmental challenges. For her mother, Rosemary, that resulted in the pursuit of a career in special education, which has filled her life with joy for nearly thirty years. For her father, Craig, it meant being involved in Special Olympics and later becoming the sponsor of a self-advocacy group as well as being his daughter's strongest supporter and advocate. Together as a family, they have faced the challenges presented to them with love and determination. Rosemary tells their story in a warm, compassionate, and often humorous way. She presents not only the challenges faced by this special group of individuals as they pursue their dreams, but also the gifts and talents they have to share with the world.

A young adult with Down syndrome reaches a turning point at the age of twenty-one. He faces challenging and unexpected life events and changes that place him on a vulnerable state of chaos, depression, and withdrawal from life. Several venues of self-discovery, emotional healing techniques, medical supervision, and spiritual bliss take him to that place of serenity where he used to be. With the unconditional love, and support from his mother, sister, family, and friends, Gaby started to express his journey back to that place of innocence and inner serenity by giving credit to his deliverer, Jesus.

Endorsements:

This book is a must-read not only for parents of special needs children, but for anyone who knows and loves a child who faces unique challenges in life.
Lisa M. Hendey, Author of" The Handbook for Catholic Moms "
Filled with moments of faith and frustration, turmoil and transcendence, these Moms and Dads, and their kids will awaken your heart to the kaleidoscope of life's real joys, and the healing power of love.
Pat Gohn, writer, catechist, and host of the "Among Women" podcast.
"If someone you love (perhaps you?) is hurting over the severe physical impairments of a child, hand them these testimonies to the power of Christ's terrible, tender love. At a time when so many of these little persons are in the cross hairs of a culture of death, Velasquez has fought back with grace and elan."
Patrick Coffin, author and host of "Catholic Answers Live"

About the Book:

"Your daughter has symptoms that are consistent with Down syndrome." The nurses were surrounding author Leticia Velasquez in the delivery room when they uttered these fateful words-words that hit her stomach like a sucker punch. She was frightened and overwhelmed, but she was not alone. Four months earlier, God spoke to her in the depths of her heart; He told her that Christina had Down syndrome and that she was a gift from His hand.

If you are faced with a prenatal diagnosis or are raising a child with special needs, this book is for you. Thirty three parents who have walked in your shoes share how they encountered Christ alongside them in the darkness. You are not alone.