Down Syndrome Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Down Syndrome, including details on education, symptoms, treatment, information.

Recommended Books on Down Syndrome

Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents' Guide (2009 IPPY Award Winner: Silver Medalist, Parenting/Family category)

Babies with Down Syndrome, the trustworthy guide which has benefited thousands of families since it was first published in 1985, is completely revised and updated in a new, third edition. Covering the best practices for raising and caring for children with Down syndrome through age five, this book is invaluable to new parents who have welcomed a baby with Down syndrome into their lives.

This new edition incorporates the latest scientific, medical, educational research, and practical information available, as well as parents suggestions and feedback. Existing chapters have been revised, some completely rewritten by new authors, and in keeping with its parent-friendly reputation, most of the book's contributors are parents of children with Down syndrome. Chapters cover:

What Is Down Syndrome?: A primer on the causes, characteristics, and diagnosis, including the latest information on genetics and prenatal testing;

Adjusting to Your Baby: Advice from an experienced mother on coping with common emotions and announcing the news to friends and family;

Medical Concerns & Treatments: An overview of possible health issues including celiac disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, reflux, and skin problems, with an emphasis on detecting signs early for needed treatment;

Daily Care: The gamut of care from feeding to bathing, with expanded information about toilet training;

Family Life: The impact on siblings and couples, discipline issues, and new material to help everyone understand that a child s behavior is a form of communication;

Development & Learning: Expectations about development plus new material on variability in development, learning styles, using reading to develop language, memory strengths and weaknesses, and using play to encourage learning;

Early Intervention: An overview of services and therapies for babies & toddlers with new information on the transdisciplinary approach, providing services in the natural environment, transitioning to preschool, and common questions & answers;

Legal Rights & Financial Issues: Explains your child's educational and legal rights, and financial information, including the latest on federal education and civil rights laws, sources of financial assistance, health insurance, trusts, and guardianship.

Full of new photos, parent statements, updated and expanded resources and reading lists, and a reprint of the inspiring essay, Welcome to Holland, this guide is everything parents need to build a bright and healthy future for their child with Down syndrome.

Teaching Math to People With Down Syndrome and Other Hands-On Learners: Basic Survival Skills (Topics in Down Syndrome) Book 1 (Bk.1) TEACHING MATH TO PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME is the book that everyone has been waiting for! Now parents and educators can use this guide to teach meaningful math to students--with and without learning problems--who struggle with understanding computation, number concepts, and when and how to use these skills.

The author, an experienced educator, was inspired to write TEACHING MATH to meet the needs of hands-on learners after observing the difficulty her adult son with Down syndrome and his peers had in applying math skills to everyday life.

For years, the math program explained in TEACHING MATH has been successfully used with preschoolers, children, and adults with Down syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other cognitive disabilities. Its success lies in capitalizing on the visual learning strengths of these concrete learners and using manipulatives, games, and activities to teach and maintain motivation. A key feature of this method is the early introduction of the calculator, which allows students to progress in their understanding of math without having to memorize math facts. This book can be used to help students learn the critical math survival skills needed for living independently or help students in their math curricula at school.

Book I covers introductory math skills typically taught in preschool or elementary school, but which many older students still need help with, including:

Number sense
Recognizing & writing numerals
Time
Calculator skills
Counting
Measurements
Addition
Place value
Shapes
Subtraction
Money

The second volume of TEACHING MATH will focus on more advanced math skills needed for independent living, including multiplication, division, banking, budgeting, and consumer skills.

TEACHING MATH gives parents and teachers high-interest, hands-on strategies and ideas for teaching math to learners of all ages.

Gross Motor Skills in Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals (Topics in Down Syndrome) Children with Down syndrome master basic gross motor skills-everything from rolling over to running-just as their peers do, but may need additional help. This guide illustrates more than 100 activities for parents and professionals to practice with children from birth through age six. Checklists allow readers to plan and track a child's progress.

Schooling Children With Down Syndrome: Toward an Understanding of Possibility (Special Education Series (New York, N.Y.).) This volume explores Down syndrome disability in the cultural context of the school. The author traces the history of community banishment on people with Down syndrome. Based on fieldwork, and using examples, the author describes school contexts currently resisting traditions of segregation.

Fine Motor Skills for Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents And Professionals (Topics in Down Syndrome) The popular book, Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down Syndrome is now available in an expanded new edition. Written by an occupational therapist who has worked extensively with children with Down syndrome, and is also the mother a teenager with Down syndrome, this book explains the best practices and procedures for helping children master daily living skills for home, school, and an independent future.

The author presents a thorough overview of the building blocks of fine motor development and how the characteristics of Down syndrome can impact the acquisition and progression of fine motor skills.

She also explains the building blocks of fine motor development: Stability
Bilateral coordination
Sensation
Dexterity
Early arm and hand control
And covers important daily living skills for home and school: Dressing & grooming
Eating & drinking
Cutting
Grasping a pencil
Preprinting skills
Drawing
Printing
Cursive handwriting
There are instructions for dozens of easy home- and school-based activities, which help children gradually overcome delays and learn the fine motor skills mentioned above. The author suggests ways for parents to incorporate these exercises into as many day-to-day activities as possible, recognizing how impractical it is to constantly be in "therapy" mode with a child.

New material includes a chapter on problems with sensory processing for those who are over- or under-responsive to touch, or have unexpected reactions to sound, pain, or other sensations. Being aware of these sensitivities can open pathways to better behavior and responsiveness to therapy. Also new is information about a critical developmental step--determining when a child is ready for preprinting activities. These and many other additions make this the most up-to-date, comprehensive resource on fine motor development for children with Down syndrome.

Teaching Reading to Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers (Topics in Down Syndrome) Teach your child to read using the author's nationally recognized, proven method. From introducing the alphabet to writing and spelling, the lessons are easy to follow. The many pictures and flash cards included appeal to visual learners and are easy to photocopy!

Early Communication Skills for Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals For children with Down syndrome, communicating is just as urgent and essential as it is for anyone else. In the newly updated and expanded edition of Communication Skills in Children with Down Syndrome, Libby Kumin offers comprehensive, authoritative, and practical advice based on her nearly 25 years of firsthand experience with kids with Down syndrome. She explains the role of a SLP, the stages of communication development, and how certain characteristics of Down syndrome, such as low muscle tone, hearing loss, and cognitive delays, can slow progression of those skills. Delays can lead to frustration and other problems for children who do not have intelligible speech until age 2 or later.

EARLY COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME focuses on speech and language development from birth through the stage of making 3-word phrases, which is often around kindergarten age, but can occur later. This book offers a wealth of information on intelligibility issues, hearing loss, apraxia (difficulty planning oral-motor movements), and other factors that affect communication for children with Down syndrome. It explains how to prepare for and understand the results of speech-language assessment, and goes on to describe what to expect in the years ahead when a child enters elementary school.

Throughout the new edition, the author incorporates the latest research on Down syndrome and communication development. She has added new chapters on high- and low-tech augmentative and alternative communication options, as well as articulation and literacy (how reading aids in the learning of language, speech, and auditory skills). New checklists on evaluating and treating speech problems, and numerous home activities designed to help children master each stage of communication development have also been added.

Classroom Language Skills for Children With Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Teachers (Topics in Down Syndrome) Language is the foundation for learning and school success. This is true for all students, including children with Down syndrome. Inclusive school settings provide children with Down syndrome great opportunities to improve their communication development— speaking, writing, listening, and following spoken instructions. But these same opportunities create real challenges for them because of wide-ranging skill levels and abilities in language and speech.

Libby Kumin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a leading expert on Down syndrome and its impact on communication development. Her new book covers every aspect of a child’s language needs in school from kindergarten- age through early adolescence. Early chapters provide an overview of the characteristic communication problems associated with Down syndrome, their underlying causes, and how they can affect a child in school. Later, the book explains how to address communication needs directly in a child’s IEP, and then goes into detail about the best strategies for adapting school work and teacher-student communication in an inclusive classroom.

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE SKILLS FOR CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME emphasizes the crucial role teachers and speech-language pathologists play. It explains how to make adaptations to curriculum, verbal instruction, classroom routines, and written assignments. The book discusses ways to enhance social communication between children with Down syndrome and other students during class, lunch, and recess. Also covered is the use of augmentative communication methods for children with Down syndrome who are non-verbal or rarely use speech.

As an added bonus, there are numerous forms and checklists for parents such as an IEP planner, home-school communication tips, samples of visual prompts, graphic organizers, and worksheet adaptations. Overall, this guide offers parents an in-depth overview of their child’s language skills in school, while providing teachers and SLPs with useful ideas and adaptations that will help them meet the communication needs of their students with Down syndrome.

Down Syndrome: Genetic origins of Down syndrome, Health aspects of Down syndrome, Research of Down syndrome-related genes, Chromosome 21 (human), Chromosomal translocation Down Syndrome - Genetic origins of Down syndrome, Health aspects of Down syndrome, Research of Down syndrome-related genes, Chromosome 21 (human), Chromosomal translocation, Developmental disability, Alternative therapies for developmental and learning disabilities, Early childhood intervention, Mental retardation, Aneuploidy, Hypotonia, Congenital heart defect

Road Map to Holland: How I Found My Way Through My Son's First Two Years With Down Syndrome An exceptional memoir that provides emotional insight and practical advice.

It's like planning a trip to Italy, only to get off the plane and discover you're actually in Holland. You need a new road map, and fast...

When Jennifer Groneberg and her husband learned they'd be having twin boys, their main concern was whether they'd need an addition on their house. Then, five days after Avery and Bennett were born, Avery was diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Here, Jennifer shares the story of what followed. She dealt with doctors-some who helped, and some who were disrespectful or even dangerous. She saw some relationships in her life grow stronger, while severing ties with people who proved unsupportive. And she continues to struggle to find balance in the hardships and joys of raising a child with special needs. This book is a resource, a companion for parents, and above all, a story of the love between a mother and her son-as she learns that Avery is exactly the child she never knew she wanted.

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