Happy Friday!!

Happy Friday everyone!!! Tell me I didn't die seeing this go on.

Have a great weekend!

Speech Therapy Group

We have been going to a small speech group once a week for about 9 months (could be longer). I love it! It's Hazel and another little girl. I thought that the group was small at first but the dynamic is perfect. Hazel is very difficult to convince that she should do what we want her to do. It's still often a struggle to get her to sit and focus on one activity for any length of time. She really is a 2 year old. I like that the session encourages interaction between the 2 girls.

DISCLAIMER: I hesitate to give advice on therapy. Every child is different and learns in different ways. I am NOT a SLP (Speech & Language Pathologist). All of this is MY OPINION. I do not claim to be a professional, nor do I know what is best for your children. I know that this works for Hazel and only Hazel. However, I offer this information as a suggestion or an idea that you may want to approach your SLP about. It may work for others, like it works for Hazel. Please seek the advice of a qualified therapist to see if this idea may work for you.

3 reasons why I love our small speech group:

 

1. Teaches Effective Communication Skills

Teaches turn taking, simple exchanges and eye-contact. In the one-on-one sessions, Hazel's attention span was extremely short and she would lose focus and interest quickly. If it's not her idea, it's not a good idea. Oh...Hazel...sigh. She knows what she likes and she like to be free and not to be told what to do (If only I knew where she got it from?)

Sometimes our only saving grace is that she wants the therapist to see her and notice her so she is always trying to repeat her words or actions to get her attention. When she ignores Hazel and works with the other child, Hazel will be repeating what she is doing/saying.

2. Social Interaction

The 2 girls are often in an exchanges with each other. The are taking turns with the activity the therapist presents. They hold each others hands and sing songs. They take turns doing more physical activities (like going down a slide). Overall, it walks them through a solid model for effective communication. They are learning how to play together.

3. Focus on Individual Needs

Having only the 2 girls works out well. They are both at different levels of speech and they push each other to grow and learn. Hazel does not do well in unstructured, crowded places. For her, 1 other little girl is plenty enough to pay attention to (and that is often a challenge). I find that the Speech Path has enough time to address each child's needs. She can tailor activities to pull on each of the girls strengths. She can spend time working with them one-on-one to encourage better speech practices.

Hope this helps someone out there!!! As a teacher I am thrilled with the dynamic of the group. The kids get all the attention they need in such a small group.

As usual, you are welcomed and encouraged to share any of the activities that you do to promote language development with your little ones! Leave a comment!!

Gift Guide for Therapy Toys

Seeing that it's Christmas time, I thought I would put together a gift guide. I can't believe it's well into December already!!! We, fortunately, are done our holiday shopping. I'm feeling very thankful to have this month to spend just enjoying our family and friends. May your cup runneth over this holiday season. And I probably mean with eggnog and rum, but love and peace works too.  

For those of you who still have some last minute shopping to do, I thought I would try to help. Hope these toys will work for someone on your list. Here are some of the toys that we have been using during therapy time with Hazel. These are mostly Occupational Therapy toys.

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Buying toys I always look for 3 qualities.

1. Developmental skills

2. Longevity

3. Fun

Keep this list in mind when buying for the kiddos on your list this year. These toys are not only great for children with Down syndrome but any child. These are skills all children will need to practice and toys that they will enjoy!!!

Lacing Beads

We started with the wooden spools and the big beads in the first set. Then we moved to the string lacing set. I did take some electrical tape and reinforce one end of the string to make it easier and more firm for Hazel to grasp.

Play doh

So many things you can do with this inexpensive toy. Also, make your own and it's even cheaper. We hide little objects or animals in the Play doh and Hazel digs them out.

Puzzles

Large peg puzzles are a great way to start and move onto the smaller pegs. We also use the puzzles that the doors open (hide and seek barn) and the latches board.

Lift Flap Books

ANY BOOK with lift flaps will do. Helps children to learn to isolate their finger to manipulate objects.

Duplo Lego Sets/Mega Blocks

Love these for pulling apart, building, and pretending.

Blocks

These are the best!!! Can be used for building, stacking, spelling. These will be around for a while.

Colouring/Crafts

We try to get Hazel to do this often. Practice with grasping the markers, working on her grip.

Sensory Play

We have not yet attempted this sensory activity yet. Hoping to get this from Santa!!! It was recommended by our Occupational Therapist as a great sensory play toy.

Pretend Play

Baby dolls, kitchen set, cupcake making set, the list can go on. Use whatever toys your child is interested in. We use a lot of Little People toys.

Slots

We use so SO many different toys for this skill. I feel like it takes a multitude of toys to master this skill. Each toy offering a different way to turn your wrist and put the item in the slot. We use buttons in a peanut butter jar, coins in a small plastic container, the fisher price pig, and on and on.

This Girl!!!!

Down Syndrome Awareness Month continues with this little angel. There are so many little ones that I would just love to share with you. This month I happened to only choose a few. I can hardly wait to share the rest of them with you. I have met some wonderful families on IG, that just so happen to be sharing and documenting their path with DS. It feels so good to have a virtual family that understands, supports and loves my family for all our differences and commonalities.

This little girl is nothing short of a miracle. She has been overcoming some serious challenges ever since the day she was born. From health concerns that she just made disappear, to being cognitively advanced for ANY child of her age, to being the best big sister to Cameron, and to being just about the sweetest, cutest little doll that there ever was. This girl is the whole package. She is breaking down stereotypes, paving the way for littles with DS. I am honoured that her mama, Lauren, shares her with us virtually.

We had our first Facetime date last week and plan on meeting up ASAP in Michigan. I can hardly wait to lay my eyes and my arms on this sweet girl and her family.

Meet Ellie.

Here is what her sweet mama has to say about her,

In a recent FB post, a friend and fellow Ds advocate asked her FB audience, "Ds mamas: We always talk about what we like about Ds, but what do you dislike?" My immediate response, "Nothing!" I truly do love everything about that extra chromosome.

As I sat and pondered my reply, however, I realized that what I dislike the most is the negative societal stigma attached to those two words - Down syndrome. Sadly, when most people think of Down syndrome, the thought of moderate to severe developmental delays and low cognition come to mind. Well, my friends, Ellie is living proof that, that stigma is old and outdated. Today during testing, her new therapists touted her as "brilliant," "amazing," and "remarkable," saying that she is "going to do huge things in life." Little do they know, she already has. She is the most incredible big sister, daughter, and friend. We still pinch ourselves in disbelief that she is ours. What a life she has ahead of her! As far as that stigma is concerned, Ellie continues to break down stereotypes, as do many individuals with Down syndrome. In addition to being cognitively advanced for her age, according to her IFSP/IEP testing, (After all, how many 2 years olds do you know that can nail first-grade reading comprehension questions; recite all of their letters, numbers, shapes, colors; and sight read more than 150 words?) the experts say that she has only a mild speech delay. Again we were encouraged to push full steam ahead with regards to full inclusion when it comes to preschool a year from now. Breaking down old stereotypes, smashing negative stigmas, and promoting both acceptance and inclusion of individuals who happen to be rocking an extra chromosome, that is what Ellie is all about. The sky is the limit and we couldn't be more proud of our amazing Ellie!

Ps. Her mom says that when she's wearing this outfit, she really does believe she is Cinderella.

Such a sweetheart!!! I am so SO SOOOOOOOOO proud of this little girl and her accomplishments.

Much love to Ellie and her wonderful family...xo

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

 

This is the 3rd year in a row that October has held special meaning for us in this house. Hard to believe that 4 years ago I would not have even noticed a reference to Down Syndrome Awareness Month (DSAM), let alone have a blog that dedicates much of its time to advocating for those who have DS.

I would never go back to the me "pre DS." There's so much I would like to go back and tell myself about the beauty that I was about to experience (not that I would have believed me). It's a very difficult thing to do - accept the unknown. And hear I am now, almost 3 years later, not only accepting but loving, living, breathing, educating, advocating, supporting, challenging and hopefully most of all...

CHANGING.

Changing not only my outlook on Down syndrome, not only our family's and friend's outlook - but YOURS. All of you. Every time you take the time to come over and visit us here on Chasing Hazel. Every time you share something on our Facebook page or like a picture on our Instagram feed, you are showing your support.

Support for Hazel - yeah sure - but also support for all those with Down syndrome.

When you look at Hazel with love in your eyes...

When you celebrate her accomplishments with us...

When you realize that she's a little girl that has learned to walk, talk, play and have temper tantrums...

YOU ARE INVITING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DOWN SYNDROME INTO YOUR HEART.

How many of you have come across an individual with DS in the community and been a little less intimidated to speak to them because you know Hazel?

Oh - I hope A LOT!!!

Yes, this month is about raising awareness but I hope that we have been doing a good job raising awareness all year long and not just this month.

Guys I don't write this blog to make money, I don't receive any endorsements, funds or grants for the time I spend here writing. I don't publish posts because some body asked me too.

I do it for Hazel.

I do it so that you feel a little less intimidated by her. I do it so that you know that people with Down syndrome are beautiful, just as any other person. They have a great deal to offer us. I do it so that you can experience just a little part of the joy and love that we experience everyday. We don't just experience joy from Hazel, but from all the individuals that we have welcomed into our hearts since the beginning of this journey. I know a love now that I can't even begin to explain. My heart swells with pride for all our little friends with DS. Their accomplishments, are our accomplishments.

We are in this together. All of us. We are paving the way. But first we have to take out our power tools and heavy machinery and break the very hard concrete roads that are already laid. We need to change the infrastructure and then pave a new road entirely. Our new roads bend, weave and fork in ways that we never thought possible. At the end they join together and lead us to a most breathtaking view.

I am calling on you. Won't you please help me?

Talk about Down syndrome in your homes, share our Facebook links, open your hearts up to something a little different, teach you kids about it.

If there is anything I can do to help I am IN!!! ALL IN!!!! Email me or post a comment.

Happy Friday (or Saturday)!

Hello Friends... We have a beautiful smile to share this week. Hazel and Nola's cousin Grace.

And then this is just so ridiculous, I thought it would be perfect for a Friday smile (or Saturday, or Sunday...)

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Physiotherapy - Strengthening Hamstrings & Quads

Physiotherapy (PT) is the therapy we use in order to help Hazel with limitations she may face due to low muscle tone. To read other posts about Hazel's therapies click here.

 

The latest in PT around here is that Hazel very rarely bends her legs to step over things. She side steps everything. She defaults to a bear crawl when she thinks her legs aren't strong enough to lift over an uneven surface. So, she has basically learned to overcompensate for her low muscle tone and still get where she needs to be. Sounds about right. Something Hazel would do. NOTHING is going to slow this girl down.

As a result, we are trying to help her gain strength in her hamstrings and quads by doing 3 activities in PT.

1. Stairs

Going up and down the stairs is a great muscle strengthener. There is a lot of bending and supporting herself, balancing on one leg (holding the railing too, of course). We have her facing the stair rail and side stepping up and down. This ensures that she gets that bend in her knees and still feels safe and secure holding the railing. We happen to live in a ranch so stairs are not easy to find around here. We have 2 steps coming into our house that we use. Up. Down. Up. Down.

What do we do?

• Use stairs at someone's house
• Use stairs at the park on the equipment
• Use stairs at our PT center

We do it where ever we can! Sometimes we have to be creative.

2. Tricycle

I have yet to decide which tricycle I am going to buy Hazel. The problem is that I can't find one that is suitable for her arms and legs. No matter which one I buy I will have to make modifications to it. For now we use the tricycle at our PT center.

Here are the 2 I am trying to decide between:

Kettler...

Radio Flyer...

Any and all suggestions are welcome. What have you done to modify your tricycles for your little ones?

3. Jump

Trampoline = jump.  I bought ours at a local store called Mastermind. Click here to view. We LOVE it. Hazel LOVES it. She has a blast on it and she started to immediately use the muscles in her legs to bounce. It took her until about the 3rd time on it to start to trust her legs enough to start to bend. This model is small enough to fit into any home. They also have a bigger one that we use at the PT center we visit.

Hope this gives you some ideas to bring to your next PT session.

As always ideas and suggestions are welcome here. Would love to hear from you!!!

Please check with your child's PT before trying any of these activities with your kiddos.

"Up About Down" Buddy Walk

 

It was a beautiful weekend for a walk. The sun was shining and smiles were not in short supply.

Our local Down syndrome community, Up About Down, got together this past weekend for their annual "Walk" in support of Down syndrome. Up About Down:

• is committed to enhancing the quality of life for those with Down syndrome and their families
• raises money for the local association so that they can provide events and activities for individuals in the community that have Down syndrome or the support system of those with DS
• raises awareness about DS in the community

To read more about Up About Down click here to visit their website. Also, you can check out the Up About Down Facebook page and give it a "like" so you can follow along with future events honouring Down syndrome.

This was our 1st year attending. The event was a huge success!!! The walk raised over $10,000 for Up About Down. We are really looking forward to being a part of this community in the years to come.

A very special THANK YOU to our friends and family who came out and walked with Hazel. I have said this a million times but it takes a village and we truly appreciate you coming out to stand with us. Y'all only make us stronger. Thank you!!!

Happy Friday!!!

Another week has come and gone. Sometimes as the weeks pass our kids enter into good phases. Cute phases. This week Hazel has decided to start waking up at 4 am (ish). So that's super fun. It's one of the cutest phases ever! (NOPE - NOT AT ALL). On the other hand, Nola is finally starting to see that she doesn't NEED to eat every 3 to 4 hours through the night. Small victories... Anyway... It's Friday. Friday to a long weekend. That's something right?

Hazel thinks so...

Have a good one everyone! I'm going to get a(nother) cup of coffee...

Heart Check Up

I am really not sure how it took me so long to post this update from our last cardiologist apt. Well...hang on...Easter happened, than baptism planning happened, baptism happened (with out of town guests), funeral happened, then a flu bug forced the girls and I to squat at Nonna's house for a couple days. Poor Matt.

Here we are...

All was well according to the heart doc. Hazel is doing even better than he had expected. We finally have visits only once a year. Most importantly, Hazel is always greeted with huge smiles and open arms when she gets her check ups. Love the docs so much!!!

It was really amazing to see a new little person in the office with us this time. It really makes you think how much can change in such a short time. I almost can't stand how much I love that they have each other, especially in a situation like this.

The ride home was filled with PURE JOY! And by pure joy I mean, good tunes, comfy car, good conversation and warm coffee.  (5 minutes before this pic there certainly wasn't pure joy - lot's and lot's of crying - but as soon as that stopped the scene in this pic happened). Bliss!

I know what it looks like, Matt's not sleeping.

Happy Thursday

3-21World Down Syndrome Day 2014

First I wanna say that I am overwhelmed by the Facebook and IG love we received yesterday. WOAH!!!! We feel very warm and fuzzy over here.

What can I say here on World Down Syndrome Day that I haven't said before.

It is important to say that Down syndrome is our everyday life. It's "normal" for us. Hazel just is. She is...

Our daughter, a sister, a 2 year old, a little girl, a cousin, a niece, a granddaughter, and a friend.

She likes...

To read, play, eat, sleep, sing, dance, walk, run, play outside, go places, be free, give hugs and kisses, watch TV (The Voice and The Wiggles) and so much more.

Down syndrome, a once very scarey thing for us, has become a part of our everyday. It is no longer scarey. It is no longer the unknown. That certainly doesn't mean that we don't have concerns for the future or worry about what challenges lie ahead. We do. Trust me we do. But why worry about the possibility of a future challenge or problem, when all is perfectly well right now.

Sometimes I lose this battle. I find myself really panicking about school, or her friends, or whatever.

Then there is a day like today.

And I remember that we are not in this alone. I remember that we have all of you. I remember that our hearts and minds have been opened to accepting that which is "different" (but not really). I feel genuine love and support. This day where I didn't have to ask you all to wear your crazy socks or your t shirts to show your unrelenting commitment to showing the world that Hazel has a place in it, as do others who share her extra chromosome. You just did it and shared it and ROCKED IT!!!! I'd like to see anyone try to disrespect Hazel in any way. They would have all of you to deal with. Our village is becoming a fortress. Again, I am honoured to be part of it.

So many things made me happy today. Thought I would share some.

   

If having trouble viewing click here 

  

(yes...this 11 year old painted this for Hazel)

THANK YOU!!!

Occupational Therapy - What's in the bin?

  When Hazel and I do OT (Occupational Therapy) I like to have her sit in her high chair so that she gets used to more of a structured activity time. We are kind of always doing OT when we play just by doing puzzles, snap beads, pull apart activities, eating, dressing, reading etc. But I find that it's easier to introduce new skills and activities when her and I can both focus on one thing at a time. Once she has mastered the skill I take the toy and put it in "gen-pop" (general population with the rest of the toys).

Also, I try to give her as many different ways of doing the same thing that her therapist and I can think of (most of these ideas are her therapists. I just try to find things around the house that reinforce the concepts). For instance, building blocks. She has several different shapes, sizes and colours that she can practice with. Specifically, mega-blocks, bristol blocks, counting blocks, ABC blocks etc.

Here is what is in our OT bin at the moment:

We work on all these activities together. We try everyday but more realistically its probably 3 to 4 times a week.

We use the containers to put the toy into that we are done with. It's important to offer her a place for them so that she doesn't throw them everywhere. OT can be very messy....Yikes!!!

The little people toys are for teaching animal sounds or to use while we read books with the corresponding animal. Girlfriend likes props!

Play-doh for hand strengthening and putting pegs into. Sometimes we sing songs and make it into different shapes. For example, "Patty Cake". We roll it, pat it, and so on.

The textured surface for colouring just makes it more interesting because of the sounds when she colours.

As always I encourage you to share "what's in your bin?" I love to hear your ideas, thoughts, comments, questions. Please leave a comment!!!

"The Disability is Not a Limitation"

  I want to start out by saying that I believe this video would not only be useful in educating today's children and youth, but can also be used to send a message to our entire society that Down syndrome is a disability NOT a limitation.

Included is a short video of a young man, Eli and his father, Justin, sharing their experience climbing to the first base camp of Mount Everest.

How many of you have done that???

In this video Justin (Eli's father) talks about how there is nothing out of the realm of possibility when an individual has Down syndrome. In fact, while they were climbing, Eli's health was often better than all the others who were with them. Justin says, "that [they] were the ones feeling [their] own sense of disability" and Justin was often times leading the group on the climb.

Here is Justin's message:

"For anyone who has a child with a disability...or for the rest of the culture...to understand the disability is NOT a limitation and is not outside of the scope of God's goodness...the lives of those with disabilities have infinite worth and they can attempt great things...they can be used powerfully to impact their culture and impact the world"

God's goodness indeed!!! Well said!!!

Watch the video. Show it to your students and children. Help Justin share his message with everyone.

If you are having trouble viewing, click here. 

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Lesson Idea:

Again just a thought, teachers feel free to share ideas with us about how you incorporated this video into your lesson and/or classroom. I would love to hear!!!

Teachers could use Eli's story as a model for students in the classroom. His story could be used to provide students with a example of something exceptional that a person with a disability has accomplished.

Ages: 13 & up (Grade 8 to grade 12)

Introduction:

• Have a short mini lesson on some common (but accurate) characteristics of individuals with Down syndrome. For accurate information click here, here and here. Show the students what is expected of them for the assignment.

• Show Eli's video to the class

• Have the students in groups or individually go out and research other people that have accomplished unthinkable or exceptional goals who have a disability of any kind.

• The assignment could include a written portion

• The students could do a class presentation about the individual and their disability. This way the rest of the class would have the opportunity to be exposed to and learn about other individuals with disabilities and what each disability highlighted might entail.

Conclusion:

Students could do a self reflection of what they learned. How this assignment may have helped them to be empathetic toward individuals with disabilities? What was the most important lesson they gained from the assignment? Whether or not this assignment helped them to view individuals with disabilities differently?

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I hope this helps even so much as to provide you with just a few helpful links and a video to show your students.

Please let me know if you found this helpful or feel free to share your ideas with us!!!

Down Syndrome - Our Top 10 Therapy Toys/Tools

I have always been interested to hear what types of therapy activities parents are doing with their kids with Down syndrome. There is such a vast array of options out there and I love to learn and experiment with Hazel. I like to have ideas to discuss with her PT (physiotherapist), OT (occupational therapist) and SLP (speech and language pathologist). One thing I have learned raising a child with special needs is that it truly does take a village. This post was inspired by my love for learning new activities to try and help my girl reach her full potential. I'm hoping this gives you some ideas to bring to your next therapy session to find out if these activities might work for your children.

Please feel free to share your ideas and activities in the comments of this post. I would love to hear from you.

 

1. Big Ol' Piece of Foam (PT & OT)

A piece of very firm foam that's about 2 feet x 2.5 feet. We used this for almost everything (kneeling, sitting, weight baring on arms, reaching, playing and standing). I know this could be tricky to get but ask around I am sure you will find it somewhere.

2. Mirror (PT & Speech)

We used this to encourage Hazel to sit, balance, reach, and TALK TALK TALK. She loves looking at herself and hearing her voice.

3. Baby Signing Time (Speech)

These DVDs are great for introducing common signs to your toddler. I find that as long as I use them in her day-to-day routines she learns them in context. They are an excellent tool to teach me the signs so I can use them to communicate with her.

4. Flap Books (OT & Speech)

5. Large Peg Puzzles (OT)

6. Pegs (OT)

7. Blocks (OT)

Stacking anything is the idea. It doesn't have to be blocks but this is what we use. We also use nesting cups, books etc.

8. Piggy Bank (OT)

Anything that has a slot and something to put into the slot is a winner here.

9. Push Toy (PT)

We used this toy for the longest time. We started with reaching, then kneeling, then standing, then walking. It really is a great investment.

10. Exercise Gym (PT)

We used this for standing and shifting weight on each leg. Then we used it to get her to cruise around the outside when she was bigger. Also, we used it for pulling to stand. We used this toy for a long time so I think it's definitely worth the investment.

So these are 10 of our favourite tools to use in therapy. To read more about what else we do check out my older posts here.

Also, don't forget to take a second to share your ideas or activities that you do with your children in the comments of this post. Also, feel free to ask any questions you may have!

Wishing you all success in your current and future therapy ventures!

3 Speech Therapy Activities - Down Syndrome

One of the therapies we do with Hazel is Speech Therapy. Sometimes children with Down syndrome experience challenges with their speech development. In order for us to help Hazel to be prepared to face these challenges, early intervention with speech therapy has been our biggest tool. 

Down syndrome aside, I think that it is important to talk to your kids as much as possible, especially during daytime routines. Repetition and being able to anticipate routines helps kids to understand what is about to happen and eventually comprehend the language being spoken. We talk to Hazel constantly. I feel like a sports announcer at home a lot of the time. Announcing every activity before we do it.

A couple of examples…

• “Let’s go and eat Hazel. Are you hungry?” She signs, “eat” or says “mmmmmmmm” (or both)

• “Would you like to read a book?” She signs and says, “book”

• “Would you like to get up?” She says “up”

I really just try talking to my girl all the time and exposing her to the language so that she can start to understand and try to imitate. It's no different than what most of you do in your homes.

 

1. Imitation

When we started this, I tried to get her to imitate as many sounds as possible. Examples would be, “ma ma”, “bah bah”, “na na”, “ta ta” and so on through the alphabet. She tried her best to repeat after me and I would clap and tell her she was a good girl no mater what sound came out of her mouth. As long as she tried I was happy.

We also worked on attaching a meaning to that sound. Some examples:

• Bah - Bye Bye
• Baa – Bubbles
• Na Na – Nonna or Nana
• All Dah – All done

We still work on imitation, but now I try to get her to repeat full words. She tries and I clap and make a huge deal. It really is quite the production. The more I repeat, the more she tries to say it back. I also try to sync it to signs whenever possible.

2. Reading

Read. Read. Read. All day, every day.

I feel like I read the same books over and over and OVER. Hazel has definitely decided which ones are her favourite and she will sit all day and listen. Now she is starting to make sounds that she remembers as we go. She sits and reads books to herself ALL DAY. Turning the pages and pointing to pictures and words. I ADORE watching her.

For example:

• We do alphabet sounds with some books, and I try to get her to repeat.
• While we are reading books we practice animal sounds.
• I try and get her to point to different things on the page (Where’s the ball? Where’s the pool? Etc.)

3. Singing songs and signing along

This is by far Hazel’s absolute favourite thing to do. I sing just about any song I can think of and just make up signs to it. Anything will do as long as I am consistent. While I sing I pause for a moment to let her try and show me what's next. In the beginning it really helped her to focus and try to come up with the next action. She knows so many now and loves it. It is really adorable to watch too!!!

Some examples of songs are:

• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Wheels on the Bus
• Five Little Ducks
• Row Row Row Your Boat
• Twinkle Twinkle

She knows each song so well now she's trying to sing along. Also, she is able to communicate to me which song she wants me to sing to her. This really has been a great speech tool, in that she has learned to communicate and sign along. Try it with your kids, it's the cutest!!!

Small Disclaimer: I just want to remind everyone again that these activities were given to Hazel, for Hazel, by her Speech Therapist. If you would like to try any of these at home with your babes, please ask someone in your local community for support and advice on what will work best for your children.

A Simple Game for Teachers & Parents

I know a lot of teachers are just going back from holiday break. Also, parents at home are getting routines established and trying to settle in after the holidays. Here is a quick easy resource for you to use to keep the teaching and learning easy...I hope.  

 

I came across a blog called "Colorado Moms" that has a section devoted to Special Needs. As I was skimming through, I happened to see a really helpful post about a really easy tool that can be used in a classroom or at home with a child with special needs.

Connect 4

Here is an excerpt from the post on Colorodo Moms:

"I am a pediatric Occupational Therapist who works with the birth-three population in their home environment. A big part of my job is to educate parents on which toys or games are good for their child to facilitate developmental skills. I would like to take this opportunity to share a couple of my personal favorite “therapy tools” that I utilize frequently in my therapy sessions.

Connect Four – What a fantastic game Connect Four is! I use it with children as young as one and have also used it with children as old as 8. Connect Four is a great game to work on fine motor development to target the following skills:"

1) grasping patterns 2) functional release 3) eye-hand coordination 4) visual-perceptual skills 5) language/social-development

Please check out and read the rest of the post on how you can use "Connect 4" with your kids, here on Colorado Moms.

This post goes on to explain in detail each category that I posted above. It seems super easy to use and it helps to develop some really important skills.

Please let me know if this resource was helpful for you!!!

Melissa Riggio Shares Her Thoughts

 

Here is an excerpt from an article from the National Geographic Kids website. Melissa Riggio is sharing her thoughts about what it is like to have Down syndrome. She is very honest and mature in the way that she describes what her life is like and what her dreams are. She says,

"I can’t change that I have Down syndrome, but one thing I would change is how people think of me. I’d tell them: Judge me as a whole person, not just the person you see. Treat me with respect, and accept me for who I am. Most important, just be my friend.

After all, I would do the same for you."

Please read the the rest of the article here.

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Lesson:

This article could be incorporated into a lesson in so many ways. I will leave it to you to decide how you will use this. It could be as simple as...

1. Reading the article independently and doing a journal reflection

2. The teacher could read the article and have a class discussion

3. Could be used in center work or even as guided reading material

I am sure you all will come up with more innovative ideas than that but I thought I would put it out there. And as always....

Please feel free to share how you used this resource in your classrooms and/or homes and also tell us how your students reacted to Melissa's story.

Hazel Loretta - A Birth Story

Finally...I am posting Hazel's birth story. I know I meant to get to some other posts for Down Syndrome Awareness Month, but I am also trying to be very conscious that I have another babe on the way that needs me to rest and relax so I am ready when she decides to join us out here. There's always National Down Syndrome Awareness Week in November. Hazel is only going to be an only child for another couple weeks, so I am trying to soak up every minute of her that I can in the coming days.

Long story short - this will be my last post for a while. Bitter sweet for us all (I hope). I miss the blog when I am away from it, but I will come back with lots of new material and some old, that I have prepared ahead. I am not going to completely unplug. I will, as always, be updating my IG feed (follow us at user name Chasing_Hazel) AND I will still be posting pics and small updates via our Chasing Hazel Facebook page (jump on over and give it a "like").

Hope you all enjoy this read. It's a long one so you may want to do it in parts. I put my heart on the line with this one.

Can't wait to share our new little girl with all of you...Thank you so much for your support, your love and your interest in our little family.

Leaving you all with much love in my heart.

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"Did you guys know?"

A very common question that we’ve been asked since the birth of our daughter, Hazel. Down Syndrome - really? Trisomy 21? How could that be?

Yes we did – Wait (pause for dramatic effect) Did we?

Well, that’s the simple answer. Right? It makes perfect sense.

However, the full story is not simple. It is painful, long and feels like the pieces took a very long time to fall into place. The happy ending has already been documented and continues to flourish but for a long time it seemed unlikely that the end was near and the last thing it seemed was happy.

I hope that after reading this story you are able to identify and relate to 2 people who overcame fears, learned how to truly accept what is, and who were completely vulnerable to what the universe had hidden up its sleeve. I also wish that through this story, you might gain empathy for others that have had to surrender themselves to a universal plan that was far beyond anything they could ever have imagined or controlled.

By living this story, I have realized that life has a way of providing the experiences that we NEED to make us more compassionate people. More importantly, it usually has little to do with our own perceptions and ideals about what will help us along. Indeed it is what will enlighten and empower us, we just have to accept it for what it is.

In the end, it all happens just as it is supposed to.

Happy reading!

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As I sat down and tried to write this some months ago, I found that it presented more challenges than I expected. It became painfully obvious that I was having a hard time separating my fertility story, from my pregnancy story, from Hazel’s birth story. I was not ready to revisit the fertility battle, nor was I ready to recollect and explain my pregnancy in detail. Advice was desperately needed. I was determined to get this birth story out there somehow. The advice I received to help me get this process started was, that all of those experiences do not necessarily have to go together and form one story. I could dissect each individual part and write what I felt I could handle and relive again. Turns out that I do revisit the pregnancy in some detail.

Mostly, this is a birth story.

Please click here to continue reading...

6 Occupational Therapy Activities - Down Syndrome

 

As I have mentioned in the past we do 3 different types of therapy with Hazel on a regular basis:

1. Occupational therapy (OT)

2. Speech therapy

3. Physical therapy (PT)

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This post will focus on OT. To learn more about OT click here and here. Also, there is a great book I mentioned in my last PT post called, "Fine Motor Skills in Children with Down Syndrome." Between the help we get from our OT and this book, I feel I have a really well-rounded idea as to the skills Hazel needs to work on.

As I mentioned in the PT post, Hazel is very focused on gross motor development at this stage. She is walking, dancing, balancing and in her opinion, all that leaves little time for her to sit still and build a puzzle. We all have our challenges.

OT has become an extremely trying experience on a daily, although lately it seems to be looking up.

She is into throwing her pegs, eating her puzzle pieces and walking away with everything. Some days I feel like a complete failure, others I feel success. Such is parenting I guess???

My goal whenever we do OT activities is to try and make Hazel think we are playing and that it’s a good idea.

I begin by creating a play circle. I take out a few toys that reinforce the concept or skill we are working on and scatter them around the room. I like to give her the option of which one she would like to play with by letting her explore and move to the toy that interests her. However, I think now I might have to put her in a booster chair on the floor because she is far to excited about the fact that she has control to get up and walk away from me now.

Usually, our OT sessions vary in length and take place several times a day or whenever we are sitting and playing together.

Here are some of the activities we do:

(oh yes...before I forget to mention, I must say that we do NOT do all these activities everyday. Only supermom could manage that...I mean, I'm close but I just can't find a cape I like)

 

1. Board Books

We are trying to encourage Hazel to turn the pages of a book. Also, working on manipulating flap or pop-up books. She has been working on getting only the one page to turn at a time as well as lifting flaps or sliding tabs.

I have tried:

• Putting tape tabs on each page for easy grip
• Hand-over-hand (less is more)
• Books that have “peek-a-boo” tabs and lift flaps (working on both object permanence and page manipulation)

2. Puzzles

Big knob puzzles are a winner in this house. Hazel loves them so we play with them often. Lots of modeling - taking pieces out and putting them back in. Again, I do hand-over-hand with her. She tries so hard to get them to go in the right spots. Circle is her favourite. She has been really working hard on this and making great strides. I'm super proud!

3. Pegs

Putting small pegs in a pegboard or even this Melissa & Doug peg toy. It’s pretty straightforward. No re-inventing the wheel on this one.

Pegs are not well received by Hazel. The absolute lost thing on earth she wants to do with them is put them in the hole. Throw - YES. Eat - Of course! Bang together and pull apart - ABSOLUTELY! But NO - never put them in the hole. Difficult to even get her to try.

Need a new plan. Any suggestions???

The pegboard our OT uses has a little bit bigger holes, which are outlined with a black sharpie marker. It makes it a little bit easier to see the target. She suggested we could use a piece of Styrofoam with handmade outlined holes in it. We haven’t tried it yet.

4. Toys with Slots, Pull Apart Pieces & Stacking Blocks

Piggy bank, monkey barrel, Alpha-pops, snap beads, Velcro veggies. We use any blocks we have and try to go from stacking big ones to smaller ones.

5. Self-feeding

We use the suction cup bowl and spoon that came with it (although I heard they have spoons that curve toward their mouth that I might try too). I try to give her something she really enjoys like ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal etc. It’s very messy but she’s getting better all the time. I also give her Popsicles a lot. She definitely knows her way around a Popsicle (and an ice cream cone). We do try the fork as well but I do A LOT of hand-over-hand with her to help her get the food on it. She’s good about bringing it to her mouth if it’s loaded.

6. Isolating the index finger

We have several toys that she needs to push the buttons on to get them to sing her favourite songs and this is great motivation for her. I put the toys out and she finds the buttons and off she goes. There’s usually a lot of dancing, clapping and smiling with this activity, so naturally it's one of my favourites.

Also, I give her blueberries and Cheerio’s to eat.

Small Disclaimer: I just want to remind everyone again that these activities were given to Hazel, for Hazel, by her OT. If you would like to try any of these at home with your babes, please ask someone in your local community for support and advice on what will work best for your children.

Top 3 Physiotherapy Activities

It has been a great summer in terms of PT for Hazel. We have been given a bit of a break. Hazel has been going through a huge gross motor change and focus since she has figured out how to walk. It's so nice to let her just do her thing and watch her try to figure out how her body moves. She's constantly experimenting with movement and balance, dancing and swaying. Some of our best entertainment is to just sit back and watch her go.  

Small Disclaimer: I just want to remind everyone again that these activities were given to Hazel, for Hazel, by her PT. If you would like to try any of these at home with your babes, please ask someone in your local community for support and advice on what will work best for your children. Also, we always follow Hazel's lead in terms of how often we work on certain skills with her. If she doesn't want to, we don't force her (especially with PT - she has a motivation that is all her own - Yikes!)

Please feel free to leave any questions you might have about Hazel's therapies in the comments of this post, or email me and I would be glad to answer.

 

1. Stairs

This one is difficult for us to do on a regular basis because we have a ranch. Whenever we go somewhere with stairs, I try to get Hazel to go up. She can go up if she chooses to, BUT we all know if she doesn't see the value in it, then she really doesn't see the point. So there's that...

We are now starting to work on going down the stairs. It usually results in tears of some kind, but only because she is not in full control and needs help to get where she's going. Although, lately she has been very interested to learn how to go on her belly down the stairs. I think she realizes going down gives her freedom to explore new places. FUN!!!

2. Riding Toy

We are working with her on being able to move the rider herself. The goal being to get her to activate her hamstrings and pull herself along.

And to be completely honest we don't put her on it as much as we should (it's been a little more difficult for me to bend that way for long periods of time). It doesn't usually happen at this point, but she has started to show interest in being on it. I am not sure if it's too slow for her and she wants to get off and walk or if she doesn't really see the point in sitting on the car. She likes to get off and on but no forward movement so far. She has managed to make it go backwards a few times.

3. Walking Toy

Hazel has been showing interest in using the walking toy recently. It was difficult to get her to want to do this, as crawling was so much faster for her and she knew it. Now that she is more comfortable walking, she seems to want to do this more often. I know it seems backwards that she learned how to walk without it and now she wants to push it.

Even though babies know how to walk it is still important for them to learn how to push, pull, and maneuver different push toys. Eventually they learn how to reverse, go in a zig-zag pattern and so on, which is important to children's development.

Here's how we start...

And usually how we end...

I like this push toy because you can determine the weight that goes into it. We have 25 lbs in the base so it WILL NOT tip over when she pulls herself up on it. I think you can get them at IKEA. I also like it because there are no "bells or whistles" on it to distract her from what she is supposed to be doing - pushing it.

Helpful PT & OT Resource:

You can find more information in the book, "Fine Motor Skills in Children with Down Syndrome."

I love this book. It really breaks down all the tasks and skills that help children to learn and develop. It gives useful toy suggestions and great teaching techniques. Even though it is more focused on fine motor (OT) activities rather than gross motor, it does touch on PT as well. I will refer to this book more when I do the next OT post.

 

There you have it. PT in a nutshell!