October 10th, 2017

Emma goes to daycare. Just like any other kid. She LOVES it there. Two days a week we bundle her into the car and drop her off for the day. We get photos during the day on their special app - they do all sorts of fun activities and Em learns so much from the other kids.
It was suggested by our Physio a year ago that Emma would benefit from spending a big chunk of time with her typically developing (that’s the pc term for ‘normal’) peers. Having kids around her crawling and walking and talking and playing will encourage her to do the same... and so far it’s proven to be very true!
Recent research into early childhood development suggests that kids with a disability do really well in mainstream education. Typically developing kids in mainstream education with kids with a disability also do really well. Both learn from each other - they learn social skills, they learn compassion and problem solving. They learn to celebrate differences and similarities. This is true inclusion, and what we hope for Emma through her formal education later in life.
The educators at Goodstart in Wantirna practice inclusion every day. I was really apprehensive at first of how everyone would react to Emma, but the last year has been amazing for us both. I was recently trying to explain Emma’s hearing to one of the educators and mentioned Down syndrome and she was really surprised at my comment. I’m not sure if she didn’t know, or if she forgot, but it’s testament to the centre that Emma is treated exactly the same as everyone else. She is encouraged to do things for herself, participates in every activity, and is especially eager when it comes to meal times. I’m told she watches for the lunch trolley in the hallway and then rushes over to the table and pulls herself up ready to eat!!
We recently told them that Emma will soon be leaving the centre. We’re in the process of buying a house and will be moving too far away... every single educator (even the ones in the other rooms) has said how sad they are that she’s leaving. They all want her to stay so they can watch her grow up. I truly hope we can find another centre as good as this one...
Thank you Goodstart Wantirna!! It really will be a hard day when we have to leave...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Just shove it!

Image
There are two meanings to the title for this post today. The first is this gorgeous photo, of my daughter shoving her birthday cake in her face. She takes life in both hands, shoves it in her face, and gets it done. Emma had the best birthday - we spent time with our family, had lots of cuddles, went out for dinner... we ate chips, cake, and biscuits and it was the great day we had planned for her. Over the last few weeks she has come in leaps and bounds - it's funny, when they're babies the milestones come one after the other and there are so many things to keep up with it's like a celebration every day. Then they stop... the milestones are bigger, harder, and less frequent. In the last few weeks Emma has begun taking steps, is saying more varied sounds, and is definitely asserting her independence at every turn. She is a beautiful soul and she has a mind of her own. She gives a great hug, but if you ask her for one and she doesn't want to give it, she shakes h...
Read more

October 18th, 2017

Image
Myth: Older women have babies with Down syndrome. Fact: The average age of mothers with children that have Down syndrome is closer to 30 than 40!! The simple fact is that more women in the 20-35 bracket have children, so it makes sense that a larger proportion of those women will have a baby with Down syndrome. I was 32 when Emma was born. Not old by any standard! My chance of having another baby with Down syndrome is a bit higher - one because when I get pregnant again I will be older, but also because my body has carried a pregnancy to term that had a chromosomal anomaly. It is thought that only 30% of pregnancies with a chromosomal anomaly make it past the first few weeks. The body recognises that the pregnancy is ‘different’ and may not support it. A lot of miscarriages are thought to be the result of chromosomal anomalies, and there is also a huge rate of termination worldwide for these anomalies.... so my body recognised that Emma is fucking fabulous and that the world ...
Read more

When the numbers align...

Image
Today, Emma is 21 months old. There's 3 months until her birthday. I like 21, and I like 3 - because she's got 3 copies of chromosome 21. Also, 1 plus 2 is 3. This means that today... I'm launching this blog!!! It's the perfect day, the perfect combination, for a perfect girl. The name of the blog came to me in a dream, a dream I had of Emma on her 21st birthday, at her book signing... because she'd taken over the blog her mum had started and was famous. Of course. All of the October stuff was written in October of this year, 2017, for Down syndrome awareness month. The first few posts were written when Emma was born, and then a few months old. I found them when I went to set up this blog. People have been telling me for months that I have to write, and I know that I have to write, but the pressure of not having it perfect has made me reluctant to do it. No more. Today, my girl is 21 months old and she is THRIVING. I know this, because tonight I spe...
Read more