Technology Archives – Inclusion Evolution

Last Minute Holiday Gifts for Preschoolers With or Without Down Syndrome

December 4, 2017 by Courtney

If your home is anything like ours, the last thing your child needs is another plastic toy. That’s not to say that some of those type of gifts won’t make it under the tree, but I’m always on the look out for thoughtful gifts that teach empathy, confidence, and cooperation.

I’m leery of gift lists that are only for children with Down syndrome. My son, Troy, plays with everything his typical twin brother plays with, but there are some things he really gravitates towards. I wanted to share an all inclusive gift list. So, I gathered up all of Troy’s favorites, but these are also toys that his 2-year-old sister and 5-year-old typical twin play with often. I tried to choose gifts that teach an important skill like empowerment, empathy, cooperation, STEM, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, etc.

Without further ado, a list of my favorite gifts sure to empower any preschooler in your life:

The affiliate links in this post help you easily locate the products I mention, but don’t cost you to use them. When you use the affiliate links you help to support the efforts of this blog.

Does your child with a little something extra love music? Mine is obsessed. We’ve run the gamut of speech related music CDs, and some are better than others. Troy’s favorite is “Kids’ Express: Imitation Station.” He knows every word to this CD. You can find it here. My favorite is “Kids in Action,” because it gets all my kids up and moving.

There’s also Apraxia specific CDs like “Time to Sing,” which slows down all the well-known nursery rhymes and children’s songs so Troy can sing them along with the beat. It’s amazing how clear Troy can talk when he sings. Has anyone else found this to be true? I really think music is the key to better speech for Troy. We even make up our own songs to get dressed, wash our hands, brush our teeth, or learn our address and my phone number. Message me if you want any other music CD recommendations. We have a ton!

Related: Adult Self-Advocate with Down Syndrome and Apraxia Gives Hope that the Seemingly Impossible Can Be Reached with the Right Motivation

STEM, as well as sensory activities are all the rage these days and this “Marble Genius Marble Run” combines both in a perfect toy (albeit plastic). All three of my kids LOVE this toy, and use it EVERY day.

My neuro-typical 5-year-old has impressed me countless times as he’s created a unique and challenging new marble run. Troy hasn’t mastered the mechanics of how to put the marble run together, but he loves helping Hunter physically put the pieces together (great fine motor task). All three kids are almost in a zen-like state as they watch the marbles run down the maze of tubes. This is definitely my favorite toy, because I don’t have to feel guilty about taking a mini-mental break from the kids while they play with it.

Troy’s teacher is always commenting on how well he takes turns and waits during game time at school. I credit this in part to his love of board games at home. Stack Up! board game is just one example of a game that really teaches it all: balance, counting, fine-motor skills, hand eye coordination, cooperation, and patience.

Playing Stack Up! Check out the tongue–lots of concentration!

It’s not easy or fun to always sit down with your kids and play these type of board games, but it really does pay off. What I like about Stack Up! is that all three of my kids (age 2 to 5, typical and not) can enjoy the game because it scaffolds the directions to reach each age player. Troy and his siblings sat with me a few times to play, and now they enjoy playing without me.

Related: Fostering Acceptance in the Classroom

Books are always a timeless gift. There are so many great children’s books to choose from. Troy especially loves any book that rhymes or can be sung like the “Pete the Cat” series or anything by Dr. Seuss. When we read the book, “What Are Your Superpowers?” by Marget Wincent together they were eager to name their own superpowers.

Troy could relate to the book’s character whose superpower is dancing alone when no one is looking. Hunter, my typical twin son, was a bit more skeptical. He couldn’t understand how every day actions could count as superpowers, which led to a great discussion on importance of valuing everyone’s gifts, big or small.

If you’re looking for something a little more high-tech, Osmo is a fantastic interactive learning game preschoolers can use on any iPad. Troy is obsessed with Osmo Monster, Mo, who asks the kids to draw objects that he then pulls into the iPad screen and uses in hilarious ways. All three kids are laughing nonstop with this game.

Other Osmo games my kids enjoy are Tangram an interactive wooden puzzle, Numbers where the kids can practice one-to-one correspondence and counting, and Words where they use letters to build sight words.

What would the holidays be without one fantastic gross motor gift. This year Troy is getting “Radio Flyer My 1st Scooter.” His typical twin is getting a Razor scooter, but Troy struggles with balance and coordination so I’m hoping this wider-based scooter helps.

Right now Troy uses a specially fitted Amtryke bike that he’s close to mastering. You can learn more here. I’d really like to get him on a “Strider Bike,” which he already has but doesn’t like because it takes a lot of core strength and balance. The Strider bike company is always at the National Down Syndrome Congress Convention, and I think it is a great beginning bike for our loved ones with an extra chromosome.

What do you plan to get your loved one with Down syndrome this holiday season? Share your ideas with me below.

Social Media Gives Self-Advocates Voice

November 2, 2017 by Courtney

David Feit is a Facebook aficionado. The 39-year-old electronics firm assistant with Down syndrome has exactly 5,000 Facebook friends, and uses the social media platform like an open diary. The self-proclaimed “Funcle” (or Fun Uncle for those of you who aren’t in the know) first caught my attention by seeking me out as a friend, and then engaging me in conversation with each “Like.”

“Half of my Facebook friends I went to school with. Some are old friends, and went to school with my sister. Some friends live in my old neighborhood. I have a lot of parents with children with Down syndrome on Facebook” David described when we chatted via phone the other day.

I have about 10 teens or adults with Down syndrome that are my Facebook friends. I love seeking out self-advocates to get their perspective on Down syndrome and life in general. Only a few of those friends engage with social media in an truly independent way like David, and fewer still use it to advocate for themselves and others.

Read Related Post Here: Communication is Key to Self-Advocates’ Pursuit of Goals

“I think that David has learned a lot about the world from being able to navigate the web. He learns about people, places and things going on in the world. This is mostly the world of sports and movies, but he also reads about injustices in the world and it really upsets him and we talk about it,” explains his mother, Suzanne Feit. “David has had a lot of practice advocating too. He’s advocating for everyone in the world. There are no boundaries. He will advocate for himself, and everyone else who he thinks is being wronged.”

One of David’s recent post:

It’s obvious when you read David’s posts that they are authentic, and somehow he knows more about Facebook graphics than me. “I roll with technology changes. I’m nothing like my father, who cusses at technology,” laughs David over the phone. David’s mother started an assistive technology nonprofit when he was 4-years-old, but it was David who taught her how to Facebook. “My mother taught me and then I taught her on Facebook and texting. I’m the king of texting. I take the best picture of my nieces and nephews. I just know how to capture them. They’re my world,” David explains.

Let’s face it, Facebook and other social media platforms are here to stay. Facebook has led to the fall in power of tyrannical leaders in some countries, as well as a political groundswell in our own. It can provide a new world of independence and advocacy for people with disabilities.

Read Related Post Here: Self-Advocate Uses Fame to Spread Message of Inclusion

Especially individuals with Down syndrome, who can sometimes struggle with intelligibility. Self-advocate, John Franklin Stephens, used his Facebook account to share a testimony he gave to Congress pleading for increased funding of Down syndrome research. The thought-provoking video has been viewed millions of times, and is now spreading through the news media and social media in countries where Down syndrome is being effectively eliminated through prenatal testing. Read here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQJEoRhkapw

But what about parents’ legitimate fears that social media may be misused or unsavory characters may take advantage of their child?

Advocate and parent of a teen with Down syndrome, Jawanda Mast, says those are fears all parents must face. “Our 17-year-old daughter, Rachel, wanted snap for a while and her dad helped her get that set up a few months ago. She does a lot of that on her own and has really enjoyed being able to connect to her friends. We watch her social media to be sure she is being responsible and others aren’t trying to take advantage of her. Facebook is not cool with the teenage crowd, but if she does want it we can help her with it,” Jawanda explains.

“What’s going to work on literacy more than being on the web and writing to people. I trust the universe to help and don’t live in fear. I do monitor his comments on Facebook when I see something that is inappropriate. I tell him that he must be appropriate and we work hard to help him understand that he is responsible for his actions and his words. Not much unlike the rest of the world right now, don’t you think?” David’s mom, Suzanne Feit says.

Read Related Post Here: Independence for People With Down Syndrome is Just a Click Away

My own 5-year-old son, Troy, is often better at navigating the iPad than I am. Although I limit his screen time, I realize that it’s that very same technology that will likely some day help him live independently like David. “I would encourage people with Down syndrome to have a Facebook, because you can communicate with friends and family about how blessed you feel to have them in your life,” David says.

Do you allow your child with Down syndrome to use social media or technology? How has it made them more independent or led to inclusion? How do you monitor their use of technology? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

Inclusion for Individuals with Down Syndrome is Just a Click Away

September 7, 2017 by Courtney

Down syndrome comes with a lot of assumed can’ts and won’ts. But the world often misses the incredible way individuals with Down syndrome adapt. With the right supports, most things are possible.

Today, more than any time in history, a life of independence and self-determination is just a click away.

My 85-year-old grandmother laughs that her 4-year-old twin great-grandsons, one with Down syndrome, knows more about modern life than she does. And in a way, she’s right! Troy gets very limited screen time, but has still managed to master his Great-Grandma’s iPad. Technology is intuitive to all young people today; children with Down syndrome are no different.

I can envision Troy living on his own one day, driving to work on time, shopping, exercising, and loving life all with the help of modern assistive technology.

The future is here, and it’s revolutionizing how people with disabilities live

Many of you may have paused when I said “driving to work,” and rightly so. In reality, the likelihood of someone with Down syndrome earning their driver’s license is extremely low. I’ve read a handful of success stories, but by the time Troy’s old enough to learn to drive that number could be higher because of driverless car technology.

This is no longer the stuff of sci-fi movies and dreamers. Tesla recently released their mid-level, $35,000 driverless car, and Nissan promises a car with “autonomous drive technology” by 2020. Google’s second generation car doesn’t even have a steering wheel or brake pedal. Google says in order for people with disabilities to benefit from this type of technology, the car needs to be completely autonomous. Regulators and society in general will have to consider the ethics of this new technology, but that debate is already beginning and there’s no stopping progress.

Inclusion Through Innovation

If driverless cars seems too far-fetched for you, there’s a multitude of assistive technologies that you probably use every day that can help foster inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome. Everyone’s got a smartphone, and that alone has endless possibilities for supporting independence and inclusion.

Got a problem or an accommodation, there’s an app for that:

Alarm Clock

Voice to Text, Text to Voice

Sign Language, iSigns

Navigation

GPS technology

screen magnifiers

Word prediction

Social networking

Tracking Behavior

Organize Personal Tasks, iPrompt

Steve (left) lives independently with his roommate (right)

Disability advocate and Mom-extraordinaire, Ricky Sabia, says her son, Steve’s smartphone was a life line in high school and is now crucial to his independence. “I don’t know if I would have survived him taking public transportation in high school if I couldn’t track him on “Find My iPhone.” Believe it or not, the biggest tool Steve uses now is the alarm. He sets it to remind him of when he needs to leave, when he starts a break, comes back from a break, leaves for the metro—the alarm is for so much more than getting up in the morning,” Sabia explains.

A college student with Down syndrome wants to attend a general class, but can’t take notes. No problem, Google Glasses can record the teacher’s lecture. Grade school students with disabilities could wear the glasses to the zoo and get real time facts about the animals they see.

An iWatch could track a self-advocate’s calorie intake and heart rate, all while listening to music and calling a friend.

I love how all these technologies blur the line between assistive and general consumer technology. This is Universal Design for Learning at its finest. Read my post about UDL here. UDL means providing flexible technologies so that everyone can learn. Typical people use the technologies above every day, and may not even consider how they could help someone with an intellectual disability be better included. The possibilities are endless!