When and how do I explain to my 17 year old daughter that she has Down syndrome and has special needs?
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We never hid the fact that our daughter has Down syndrome. She went through a phase when she felt different and didn't want to have "Down syndrome", but we just kept finding the positive things and emphasized them.
Now she works 5 days a week and loves every minute of it. She continues to amaze us. - Debbie B.
My daughter is 20 and we have always used the words Down syndrome in our house - not to describe our daughter or label her - but just part of who we are. It really is no big deal.
She knows she has Down syndrome and has had a few episodes of "I don't want to have Down syndrome", but she is now in college and living the life she wants.
- The Ordinary Life of an Extraordinary Girl
My son is 15 years old and I have never told him that he has Down syndrome. He thinks that he is just like any other 15 year old. I have even asked a therapist about the issue and she advised me not to worry. - Assia B.
I am considering
adopting a little one with Down syndrome,
is there any information anyone can tell me
about babies/toddlers or children with Down
syndrome? I've worked with adults my
whole life, but have never had the
opportunity to work with little kiddos. I am
a mother of 3 children and we are all super
excited to start the process once the
home-study is complete.
I love my child to the moon and back - she's amazing! However, don't go into adopting a child with special needs thinking that it's just all kisses and hugs. It's alot of work. My daughter is 2 1/2 with no major health issues, but very low muscle tone. She sees 4 therapists, mostly on a biweekly basis. She also is followed by a number of specialists and she tends to get sick quicker than my other 2 children. She just started walking at 27 months and she is mostly non-verbal (although awesome with signs). Everything takes extra effort and reaching each milestone is stretched. It can be exhausting. However, it's worth every bit of extra effort and then some. - Kimberly R.
We've adopted two little ones with Down syndrome. One domestically and one internationally. If you can parent a child, then you can parent a child with Down syndrome. - Shauna S.