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Post by kellyds on Jun 30, 2009 10:48:06 GMT -5
If you don't have one of these for your child, you should! An iPod Touch is basically an iPhone without the phone and there are some terrific communication aids and educational apps.
The one Joshie likes best right now just shows a photograph of an animal. When he touches the screen, he hears the animal's sound. These are real photos, and the sounds are actual recordings of an animal making that sound. It's not "woof-woof" or "oink-oink". The app was 99 cents.
There's a communication app that Joshua is just getting acquainted with. You take a photo to use as an icon and then record your own message to go along with the photo. The person using this can just touch the photo and the message is played to whoever he is wanting to communicate with. It's very, very easy for the parent to set up, and it was only 2.99.
Another game has a cartoon animal hiding behind one of several trees on the screen. There's just a little bit of the animal showing, and the child needs to find the animal behind the tree. He just touches it on the screen when he finds it and all sorts of congratulatory messages play. It's another 99 cent app.
Then there are apps that display two pictures; for instance, a shoe and a car. It will say, "Touch the shoe" and the child needs to touch the right object. You can make this progressively harder by displaying more objects to choose from. Some get more advanced, such as "touch the letter B", "touch the RED shirt", or "touch the number nine".
Joshua has a huge attention span when it comes to these games. I moved up to an iPhone, but I kept my iPod touch specifically for Joshua.
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Post by kellyds on Jun 30, 2009 10:24:16 GMT -5
A lot of people use it as a supplement to public or private school, or as extra practice during the summer. It's $19.95 per month, and there's no obligation to continue for any specific amount of time. If you cancel during the first two weeks, your money is refunded. Here are some demos that your child can try. Look under Pre-K - 1st and try the "Measurement and Phonics" exercises. Then, look under 2nd to 3rd and check out the science lesson called "Basic Needs of Animals". (The questions that are asked "for fun" while the game is loading might be too challenging and can be skipped without affecting the grade.) The great thing is, you can have your child skip lessons and only choose the ones that are appropriate for them. They can even do lessons from other grade levels. www.time4learning.com/demos.htmThe only thing about using the lower level lessons with older people is that they are VERY cartoon-y and silly. Some older kids or adults might find it insulting to work with "baby" lessons, but if they enjoy watching cartoons, they'll probably enjoy the lessons. The kindergarten level is where most people with DS need to begin. The math works with sorting things from small to large, one-digit addition, etc. The first grade math program is a whole lot harder. To fit into the first grade math program, a student needs to be pretty comfortable with numbers from one to one hundred. Joshie works best on the computer if I put him in big, clunky headphones! That might be because he needs hearing aids, which he'll be fitted for in August. I've also worked on teaching him, "ONE finger only!" for a couple of years, since he had a tendency to want to pound on the keyboard. He understands "ONE finger" now. ;D I'll be getting him a touchscreen before the year is up, though.
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Post by kellyds on Jun 30, 2009 10:07:10 GMT -5
He hadn't been screened for that, so I asked them to do it when we were at OHSU for the Down syndrome clinic. It isn't usually part of what they do, but Dr. Pinter added the Xrays in because I was concerned. Results from the clinic have come dribbling in over the past couple of weeks and I just got the Xray report a couple of days ago.
Speaking of results from the clinic . . . His gross motor skills were said to be almost in line with his age. I would have guessed that was the case, because he loves to swing and slide, he can throw and catch a ball accurately, and he's an awesome soccer dribbler.
The lady evaluating his fine motor skills basically said he didn't have any! She tried to get him to sit at a table with her and put a puzzle together. He picked up a puzzle piece and threw it. That was the extent of her evaluation. Joshie had just gotten out of his car seat after a ninety mile trip. He wanted to run around, but he could have been enticed to try the puzzle if she'd only tried. He doesn't put puzzles together. So far, he will put blocks in a coffee can for me. I've cut a hole in the lid and I'm trying to get him to put a block in the hole consistently, but he's hit-and-miss with his cooperation on that. Still, he CAN do some fine motor things. I felt like this therapist wrote us off the second she heard that I'd provided all of Joshua's therapy so far. She said, "You really should locate some resources for him." I thought, "What the heck do you think I'm HERE for?"
After I received the report, I realized she probably thought I was there at the insistence of our pediatician, instead of on my own initiative. I had to call the pediatrician to get a referral to the clinic for insurance purposes, so all of the reports said we had been referred by the doctor . . . who has only seen Joshua once, almost two years ago.
Anyway, that's my vent for the day. Joshie has a good pincer grip and great finger isolation when he's playing computer games. He pokes nice, accurate holes in Play Dough! His fine motor skills can definitely use improvement, but he DOES have some. Sheesh.
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Post by kellyds on Jun 29, 2009 21:15:24 GMT -5
Bummer. He loves to do somersaults and gymnastics, and we aren't supposed to encourage that until he has an MRI at the end of August to evaluate the extent of the instability. He'll have to be put to sleep for the MRI. He also needs to be put to sleep to be fitted for hearing aids, so they'll do both procedures at once.
So, who else has a kid with AO instability? Did you "do" anything about it? I guess they can't play football in Special Olympics. What else?
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Post by kellyds on Jun 29, 2009 21:03:43 GMT -5
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Post by kellyds on May 2, 2009 12:55:10 GMT -5
Joshua flaps his hands. He has other autistic behaviors (string dangling and rocking), but people at the Down syndrome clinic don't think he's autistic because he comes to me for comfort, asks for hugs, copies what I'm doing, and so forth.
I forgot to ask if there was anything I could do to discourage the hand flapping. It's his usual response to anything anyone says to him. He starts flapping his hands and then answers. Or, when I'm feeding him, he'll flap his hands between bites. I've nicely told him, "You don't need to move your hands like that. Let's fold them here on your high chair tray", but he doesn't get it.
Any ideas on discouraging this? I don't mind right now, but this won't be accepted socially as he grows older and I'd like to help him minimize it if he can.
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Post by kellyds on May 2, 2009 12:47:03 GMT -5
I'm really glad to see you posted this. I've had a lot of the same thoughts. For many of the reasons you posted, I am thinking of trying to get a group of families who have kids with Down syndrome together. We live in a small town and there isn't anything like that within a hundred miles of here. I don't want to call it a Down syndrome support group, because that sounds too negative. I'm thinking of a Down syndrome celebration club or something like that.
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Post by kellyds on May 2, 2009 12:43:32 GMT -5
I think the outfit is adorable, but definitely not for everyday wear. Add me to the list of moms who has had their eye on Brook for their sons . . . ;D
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Post by kellyds on Feb 15, 2009 14:43:34 GMT -5
It doesn't start until the 23rd. I'll take some pictures.
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Post by kellyds on Feb 12, 2009 12:05:13 GMT -5
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Post by kellyds on Feb 10, 2009 0:27:33 GMT -5
Oh, just more info . . . at bedtime, I take Joshua's DVD out and put on a CD of lullabyes. I think it's a good cue for him that it's time to wind down and sleep.
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Post by kellyds on Feb 8, 2009 16:44:48 GMT -5
My hubby is a traveling basketball referee in his spare time . . . and also a devoted father. This made him cry. He watched it twice. Thanks!
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Post by kellyds on Feb 8, 2009 16:42:49 GMT -5
We don't have TV, but all of my kids have DVD players in their rooms, including Joshua. I am picky about the kind of DVDs I buy or rent, but I pretty much let them watch DVDs during any of their free time. (We homeschool, and I've never allowed DVDs between the hours of 8am and 3pm on weekdays, even if they finish with their school work.)
Joshie's a different matter. He has a DVD player with a big screen. I set it to "repeat" and he has Love and Learning OR Signing Time DVDs going all day long. In his particular case, I think it has helped his language skills. He's had that since he was a couple months old.
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Post by kellyds on Feb 8, 2009 16:37:11 GMT -5
He sounds strong! Joshie was 14 months before he sat up alone. I can't remember how old before he crawled, but he pulled himself along combat-style for a long time before he actually got up on "all fours" and did a real crawl. (He walks AND runs, now, but it seemed a long time coming.)
Good job, John! Boy, he's cute in his Cookie Monster overalls.
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Post by kellyds on Feb 6, 2009 13:26:58 GMT -5
Thanks! It's good to know that this is pretty much the norm. And, yeah . . . size 2T is still roomy on Joshie!
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