Teddy is 6 years old now and is sort of in the middle. He is sharp as a tack but he has issues with socialization and also struggles when he needs to perform tasks that require him to focus for extended periods of time. He gets  tense and he needs to back off and take frequent breaks.

Teddy has an uncanny ability to focus on TV shows. He can watch them over and over and he actually can recite the words to hundreds of episodes of Sesame Street, Curious George, Cat in the Hat, and Super Why verbatim, even the commercials.

Not only does he know every word but he also can act out the mannerisms and do the physical movements like the actors. It is incredible. I know what you are thinking — too much time in front of the tube, but Teddy also gets a lot of outside play time, reading, playing with his brothers, therapies, homework, etc. I think he is well rounded. He calms down and feels more comfortable in his own skin when he is able to relax and watch his shows.

One of the great byproducts of him watching these educational shows are the fantastic lessons they teach. Teddy has great abilities with math and alphabet thanks to Sesame Street and he is picking up other tidbits from Curious George and Cat in the Hat. But recently he has begun to watch Super Why. Super Why is heavy on spelling and does a really good job of relaying information in a very intuitive way.

The other evening I was on the computer and Rebecca was fixing dinner. Teddy ran into the room super excited with his magnetic writing pad in his hands and he looked up at me and said ” Dad, Dad, Dad — I’m SMART!” then he held up his writing pad and there it was; the word SMART spelled out perfectly and legibly.

I could not believe my eyes…This just came out of the blue and although I knew he was able to write words like Cat and Pig with some oversight. I have never seen him do anything like this before. He then started shaking his hands and smiling and yelling and jumping. I had tears come to my eyes; it was so special.

Then something really incredible happened. He sat down on the floor, erased his board and wrote it again, and then again, and then again. Then … he erased the board and wrote the word SPELL. The … he erased the board and wrote the word MUSIC … Then … he erased the word and wrote the word BALL.

It was a magical experience that I will never forget. One thing this reinforces for me is that the capabilities of our kiddos are limitless. They will keep learning throughout their lives and they will reach heights that we never dreamed for them.

I have goals for Teddy that I hope he will also have. I want him to go to college, drive, have a partner or wife and most importantly is happy and treated well in his community.

Everyone with a child with Down syndrome, please do me a favor. Go over to your kiddo after you read this post and give them a huge hug and kiss and tell them that you are proud of them and that they can be anything they want to be in this world.

They are SMART!

Happy Halloween Friends!

Love Rebecca, Teddy, Cooper, Cade, and Justin

1. 

   Brie Video

Shelly Giard, one of our wonderful, long-time members of Downsyndrome.com just created a YouTube site for her daughter Brie in order to raise awareness for the upcoming Down syndrome month. She wants to share her wonderful little girl with the World and of course spread the joy she receives every day from her little angel. You can visit her YouTube channel here and add her as a friend and see her profile on Downsyndrome.com here

Shelly has also writes a Downsyndrome.com blog that is fantastic …

“Abrielle (Brie) has traveled leaps and bounds in the past year as I am happy to share the highlights. She is quickly approaching 2, which is surreal to me as I recall the very day I found out about this special blessing that I would have the honor to raise. My journey thus far has not been nearly as difficult as many stories I read, however the message is still the same. I, like all of you… have been chosen by God to love, embrace and mold a special child. It is up to me and those that are part of her life to encourage, uplift and teach her that she can do anything she puts her mind to. I have become her cheerleader… as I am to all of my children; but I would be lying if I said my experience with her was not different. Abrielle is different; she has more patience and less frustration than I have ever had, she smiles even when she should frown, she laughs at the simplest things and she never EVER gives up on a task… her determination and finesse truly amazes me. Want to know the most extraordinary thing about all of these qualities that she possesses? She has rubbed all of these qualities off onto to me and I find that I am more patient, happier even when my day is not so great and my already determined nature has been strengthened by her existence…..”

You can visit here site here.

If you are interested in writing your own Downsyndrome.com blog, feel free to message me and we’ll get you all setup. Also, if you would like to register for Downsyndrome.com visit this link

It pains me more than anything to think of the agony people are going through and all I want to do is reach out an rip that pain right out of their body and transport them 2 years into the future — at which time they are going to feel blessed by their new child and wonder why they ever felt so distressed.

Unfortunately life doesn’t work that way and many of these parents are going to have to go through the inevitable strain of being scared and embarrassed and unsure of themselves.

Many people reach out to me and hope that I can say the right thing or tell them the right story or point them in the right direction to an article that will make it all ok but the only thing I can confidently say is that time is what will make it better and those feelings you have today will dissipate. I want you and your husband to know everything is going to be alright. People are nice and generous with our children now, schools are accommodating, people will stare at you but those stares will also be accompanied with a smile and heartfelt appreciation of your sacrifice and obvious love you feel for your child.

When you are ready enough to begin to let more people know about your situation, it is a good idea to get in touch with your local support groups — some can be found here and there are many more out there that are ready to help you and your husband through this difficult time as well as in the future. You will find parents that have gone through the exact same thing you are going through and you will meet their wonderful kids and you will start to feel better about the promise that your family will have in the future.

On this site there are numerous member created blogs that recount their situations and how they were able to get through this tough time. Many others can also be found on-line. Also, some of the major support organizations have expectant parenting packets that will also help you better understand what to think about and provide some suggestions about what to do going forward.

I’ve stopped paying attention to how many readers come to this site due to it becoming more about numbers than about people — So, I’m not sure how many readers this site has anymore but if you do read this article, please send your best wishes in the comments below and let her know you are wishing the best for her and it will be alright.

Thank you all!

Justin

Click on the images below to view the videos

Thank you to Lady Gaga for plying such wonderful music. Please enjoy.