Educational and medical advice to improve lives of people with Down syndrome

Part 1

What should parents do to their child with Down syndrome?

It is normal for parents to feel upset that their child has Down syndrome. These parents are advised to try to get over the shock as soon as possible in order to provide the best possible educational, psychological and medical care for their child.

1 – To read and understand everything related to Down syndrome, in order that their expectations become appropriate to reality, and to help their child properly.

2 – To know their rights and their child’s rights to obtain all available forms of support (material – moral – educational – medical ….).

3 – To get to know the places that provide such support, especially in their residential area, such as:

• Places that provides assistance and treatment programs for children under the age of three, in order to speed up early intervention.

• Cultural and educational institutions to provide appropriate education.

4 – To interact with support groups of families of children with Down syndrome and exchanging conversations and experiences with them to get more experience in dealing with their child correctly.

5- To monitor growth, length and weight of their child periodically, and make a certain diet with some exercises as these children are more likely to be overweight.

6 – Medical follow-up of their child’s hearing when they suspect that it has become weak, because the speech abilities of children with Down syndrome are relatively weak, and this weakness may increase as a result of having fluid retention in the ear.

7 – To encourage children with Down syndrome to learn physical and mental skills (the responsibility of the family and school together) to increase their self-confidence and be more able to rely on them.

Note: The fact that this child’s ability to learn is less than his peers, means that he needs more encouragement and follow-up

8- The method of dealing with a child with Down syndrome should be based on supporting his self-confidence and encouraging him to take initiative, which will reflect positively on him and make him feel like other children.

9 – Periodic medical examination of a child with Down syndrome,  and commitment to give him his vaccinations on time as he is more susceptible to bacterial infections.

10 – To provide employment opportunities for adults with Down syndrome, because with proper training, they can do work that will make them useful members of society.

11 – Parents should allocate some time to talk to their child with Down syndrome (time is one of the five love languages),

Note: A child with Down syndrome has severe speech difficulties, so the child should be given enough time to do his part in the conversation.

Dear father, dear mother, your child came to life carrying a message.. There is a beautiful saying that says: “When God wants something done, he sends a child”.  Reading and understanding this message requires faith and support from others and special efforts in helping your child perform his message in the best possible way. Trust that results would be much better than standing idly and resort to complaints only.