Post by laurasnowbird on Mar 6, 2006 9:00:01 GMT -5
One of the physical therapists at the rehab that Ethan goes to is a physical therapy instructor at U of M. She asked if I would bring Ethan to meet her Embryology class again (we did this last year too) and talk to them about Down Syndrome.
I handled it a little differently this year, because I had an idea what the students were like. It's a 400 level class, and they're close to graduating. Ethan and I went into the class (he was a little fearful, closed in space with LOTS of people) and I introduced Ethan and I, and then asked them what their perceptions of DS were. I told them not to worry about hurting my feelings, that I've pretty much heard it all. They were very honest, and said many of the things we would expect.
Then I said, "I'm going to ask Ethan to do something for you, and then let's revisit the conversation we just had". I put Ethan in a position where they could see what he was looking at, and then got out his alphabet flashcards. The cards are upper case and lower case, and I handed them to a student in the front row and asked her to shuffle them. She did so, and then I held them up one at a time, and Ethan began identifying them. He didn't miss any. I had some sight words in there too, didn't realize they were mixed in, but he got all of those too. You could have heard a pin drop in that room.
I asked them, "Would you have thought a four year old with Down Syndrome could do that?" And they all shook their heads no. "What if I told you he could do that when he was TWO and a HALF?". They were completely blown away.
It set the tone for the rest of the discussion, and I shared the therapies and things we've done with Ethan, and discussed some of his challenges. They asked wonderful questions, and were very no-holds barred. I was just as honest with my answers.
They asked lots of questions about his sensory issues, and we discussed how a serious sensory integration problem could short-circuit a child's ability to learn, and the need for a qualified OT to do an evaluation if they suspected sensory involvement.
To wrap up the discussion, I told them that Ethan is probably only average in his abilities, that there are kids with DS who are doing more, and some who are doing less. That while Ethan has strengths, there are also things he REALLY struggles with. I asked them to please consider, when treating a child with a disability, the strategy of ignoring the disability (so long as ignoring it wouldn't cause physical harm) and letting the child show them what they could do. I asked they start with each child as a fresh slate, and to consider that if they get a child from another PT, who says the child isn't capable of much, to consider the possibility that the other PT wasn't a good fit, hadn't hit on the right methods, or was maybe not an especially skilled practitioner. Consider that the fault MIGHT NOT lie with the child! I asked them to avoid making decisions about a child's ability based on their disability.
Of course, Ethan was the best advocate. The teacher had a couple of gifts for him, a football and a ball, and he made a beeline for the back of the class where there were several very pretty girls, and monopolized them for the rest of the time he was there. One of the guys who was in the class was a BIG Batman fan, and he and Ethan talked about Batman. He was talking away, and he definitely made sure that those young people saw him as a person rather than a syndrome. I was soooooooooooooo proud!!!!
I handled it a little differently this year, because I had an idea what the students were like. It's a 400 level class, and they're close to graduating. Ethan and I went into the class (he was a little fearful, closed in space with LOTS of people) and I introduced Ethan and I, and then asked them what their perceptions of DS were. I told them not to worry about hurting my feelings, that I've pretty much heard it all. They were very honest, and said many of the things we would expect.
Then I said, "I'm going to ask Ethan to do something for you, and then let's revisit the conversation we just had". I put Ethan in a position where they could see what he was looking at, and then got out his alphabet flashcards. The cards are upper case and lower case, and I handed them to a student in the front row and asked her to shuffle them. She did so, and then I held them up one at a time, and Ethan began identifying them. He didn't miss any. I had some sight words in there too, didn't realize they were mixed in, but he got all of those too. You could have heard a pin drop in that room.
I asked them, "Would you have thought a four year old with Down Syndrome could do that?" And they all shook their heads no. "What if I told you he could do that when he was TWO and a HALF?". They were completely blown away.
It set the tone for the rest of the discussion, and I shared the therapies and things we've done with Ethan, and discussed some of his challenges. They asked wonderful questions, and were very no-holds barred. I was just as honest with my answers.
They asked lots of questions about his sensory issues, and we discussed how a serious sensory integration problem could short-circuit a child's ability to learn, and the need for a qualified OT to do an evaluation if they suspected sensory involvement.
To wrap up the discussion, I told them that Ethan is probably only average in his abilities, that there are kids with DS who are doing more, and some who are doing less. That while Ethan has strengths, there are also things he REALLY struggles with. I asked them to please consider, when treating a child with a disability, the strategy of ignoring the disability (so long as ignoring it wouldn't cause physical harm) and letting the child show them what they could do. I asked they start with each child as a fresh slate, and to consider that if they get a child from another PT, who says the child isn't capable of much, to consider the possibility that the other PT wasn't a good fit, hadn't hit on the right methods, or was maybe not an especially skilled practitioner. Consider that the fault MIGHT NOT lie with the child! I asked them to avoid making decisions about a child's ability based on their disability.
Of course, Ethan was the best advocate. The teacher had a couple of gifts for him, a football and a ball, and he made a beeline for the back of the class where there were several very pretty girls, and monopolized them for the rest of the time he was there. One of the guys who was in the class was a BIG Batman fan, and he and Ethan talked about Batman. He was talking away, and he definitely made sure that those young people saw him as a person rather than a syndrome. I was soooooooooooooo proud!!!!
&
Susan, Proud mom of Michael (32), Justin (25) Emily (22ds), and Jordan (20).