Because Down syndrome is not a condition that can be cured, management with quality of life is the best thing for the individual. A combination of diet, exercise, and lifestyle interventions will be the best option for the individual with Down syndrome (Gene Facts, n.d.). “Early intervention and many other therapeutic services are offered to people with Down syndrome” (National Down Syndrome Society, n.d.). Early intervention is a type of therapy that is given for children under the age of three years old. “The most common early intervention services for babies with Down syndrome are physical therapy, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy” (National Down Syndrome Society, n.d.). As previously stated earlier, developmental milestones are delayed so working on those milestones as soon as possible will help the individual be successful later on in life. …show more content…
The speech and language therapists can help with strengthening the baby’s jaw and facial muscles, as well as future communication skills. (National Down Syndrome Society, n.d.). Occupational therapists will help the baby with developing skills that have to do with their play and leisure occupations, such as stacking blocks, picking up toys, and drawing with crayons (National Down Syndrome Society, n.d.). As the child gets older, their therapy will be targeting skills that need to be achieved in accordance to their age. Examples of this are going to school and developing techniques that will allow them to do well in class assignments, participating in community-based activities, activities of daily living, and work
My first observation was at Head Start. I talked to Tracey Claflin about some of the principles they use in their program and how they use them. I wasn’t able to observe the children directly because my TB skin test results came up positive. Tracey explained to me that because my results were positive I couldn’t meet children or be in the same room as the children. Due to this, I had to make some arrangements to instead speak with Tracey about some principles she has seen and that they follow. I met with her for an hour discussing the principles and how they were used in the Head Start program. One of the principles she said was highly important for Head Start was principle number 2. She explained that when there is enough time and opportunities to spend time with a child individually the caregiver puts full attention on one child. She explained that they like to focus attention on a child throughout the day so that the child doesn’t feel left out. She says that alone time for a child with a caregiver is usually tummy time. They allow the infants and toddlers to roll around and look at the carpet designs. Tracey explained to me how they asses each child through this quality time that the caregiver and the child have alone. This quality time the caregiver has with the child is important,
"Occupational Therapy." KidsHealth. Ed. Wendy Harron. The Nemours Foundation, 01 July 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2014 .
Parker, G. E., Solomon, J. W., & O’Brien, J. C. (2011). Pediatric health conditions. In J.W. Soloman & J. C. O’Brien (Ed.), Pediatric skills for occupational therapy assistants. (190-234). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
“About 13 of every 10,000 babies born in the United States each year is born with Down syndrome. It affects an equal number of male and female babies” (Johnson P. A. 2014). Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that found across the world, however it is more prevalent in the United States. The cause of the disorder roots to the paring of the human chromosomes. A normal human receives 23 pairs of chromosomes, each pair coming from mother and father. In Down syndrome most people affected have an abnormal cell division of the chromosome. Both parents are carriers of the There are three types of variations that includes trisomy 21, mosaic, and translocation.
Having Down syndrome is like being born normal. I am just like you, and you are just like me. We are all born in different ways, that is the way I can describe it. I have a normal life"(Burke, C., n.d.). Where special education is concerned, one must always remember that exceptional learners are different, not less.
The children and babies were introduced to school at a very young age to ensure the true potential the children possess shines through intellectually and physically. By law in the United States, children with Down syndrome were exposed to suitable and public education immune of any cost. Because of the feeble muscle structure, penmanship was not the most notable strong suit. (Routh, 28) Along with substandard handwriting, students with Down syndrome typically have below par IQ scores as well. The ratings span from satisfactory-to-mediocrely low ranges. This is because people with Down syndrome are inclined to enhance more gradually than others both physically and intellectually. Even though minors with Down syndrome are not physically built the same way as others, they will still undergo strong emotions. Though they are prone to being generally happy, they will lash out negatively when they are offended by rude remarks or ill-mannered deeds from peers. In order to cope with these mixed feelings, there are support groups and community organizations open to patients and parents spread out all over the United States. These programs main priority is to aid the families who are blessed to have a child with Down syndrome. As these individuals mature into adults, they generally choose to work along the fields of banks, corporations, hotels, hospitals,
Pediatrics is one of the most common practice areas for the Twenty-First Century. Pediatric occupational therapist provide assistance to infants, toddlers, children and youth, and their families. Pediatrics is an important field of Occupational Therapy because psychological, social, and environment factors are an essential part of health care for children. (Harron, n.d.)The goal of a pediatric occupational therapists is to help children participate in Activity Daily Life Activities which is considered to be our occupations. ( Baker, n.d.) Children’s occupations include crawling, reaching for toys, eating a snack, or coloring. ( Baker, n.d.)
However a child’s job is going to school, learning, doing their homework, playing and even being on a sports team. An occupational therapist will be able to compare the child’s learning, interacting with others, school performance and daily activities with what is developmentally appropriate for that age group. If it is apparent that the child is
Occupational therapy can improve the lives of children by the rehabilitation of their performance in daily activities. The treatment focuses on improving the disabilities and difficulties of people who struggle with activities of daily living. By giving the child the special help and attention needed, occupational therapy aims to develop the child’s physical, emotional, as well as intellectual abilities, which may lead to the enhancement of their confidence as independent individuals. The primary idea of occupational therapy is to enable the patient to accomplish activities of the person’s life.
Now employed at a local elementary school as a Special Education paraprofessional, I work with children possessing meager or no verbal skills, as well as children with Autism, Down Syndrome, learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, and various other communication disorders. Observing speech therapy sessions where children from all aspects of the Autism spectrum are taught, as well as some students with Down syndrome, I acknowledge how divergent, tailored approaches can produce agile and further growth. Speech was a typical impairment in most of the children I worked with at the elementary school. Having the ability to work with them first-hand on improving their speech, motor, and developmental skills, enabled me to use multiple methods learned throughout my undergraduate education. Having spent several days shadowing numerous professionals within the school setting, I have discovered my passion for working with young
I gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl named Luna. Jeffrey has taken quite a liking to being a big brother. He likes to hold and rocker her and helps with feeding her. Jeffrey is still a slow-to warm child. He can communicate fairly well and is now using mostly complete sentences and seems to understand most of what I say. He occasionally makes errors of overregularization. He has taken an interest in music and singsongs even though he usually repeats a certain part a lot. I encourage this by taking him to local performances of children’s musicals. Jeffrey has learned the routines pretty well and is reasonably cooperative for his age. He is rarely aggressive to adults or other children. Jeffrey’s fantasy play has become more elaborate and sometimes includes superheroes or cartoon
Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21, which changes how the brain and body develops. The additional genetic material alter the course of the child’s life. What I mean by that is it totally changes the way that they function. Some of the disabilities of Down syndrome include: physical learning problems, speech is harder to understand, or speech delay. Development for a child with Down syndrome involves delayed development, learning disability, or a short stature. People with Down syndrome have different characteristics than others, some of them include: flattened face, almond shaped eyes that slant up, small mouth, misplaced tongue (may stick out of mouth), tiny white spots on the Iris, short neck, small hands and feet, small ears that may fold over at the top, low
Before learning about early childhood in this class I never realized all the way children at such a young age are developing. From the second part of this course I learned how much children are developing at the early childhood stage. I never realized children learn how about their emotions, having empathy, and self-concept at such a young age. I thought children had it easy. They play with friends, start school, and just be kids. One important thing that stood out to me in this chapter is that children’s self-esteem starts at this stage. According to Berk (2012), “self-esteem is the judgments we make about our own worth and the feelings associated with those judgments (p. 366)”. Self-esteem is very important for a child to have and it can
Music therapy helps individuals with Down Syndrome develop physically. Therapist work to enhance motor skills such as finger control, speed, and timing (Roesch 139). Playing an instrument, dancing, and singing are just a few examples of how one can accomplish this task. The weight of an instrument can help with increasing their strength. Therapist may begin initially with having a child use a tambourine and eventually work towards strumming a guitar (Smith 2). Movement activities are used to motivate the child to bend, stretch, jump, march, balance, tip toe, and much more (Smith 2...
There are many documented theories about early childhood development, contemporary research still concurs with some of these theories. It suggests, however, that we should be thinking more holistically, taking into consideration; respect for diversity, the wider community and equity, play based curriculums, intentional teaching and ongoing reflective practices when planning for optimal educational experiences for children (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). I acknowledge that ongoing professional learning and reflective practices are a key element of the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009). I accredit working and collaborating with other teachers, families and local communities collectively contribute