The ChildPsychologist

Now includes refreshed Resources and a CD-ROM of Appendices. Print out these visual supports--picture and word cards, lotto games, charts, and more--as often as you want!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Parents of children with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities are accustomed to paying close attention to their child's physical, cognitive, and emotional development. This proactive approach should also include their child's sexual development, which for many parents may not seem as obvious or urgent, especially to those with young children.

Drawing on her unique background as both a sexual educator and mother of a child with Down syndrome, the author blends factual information and practical ideas for teaching children with Down syndrome about their bodies, puberty, and sexuality. This book gives parents the confidence to speak comfortably about these sometimes difficult subjects.

In an easy-to-read, non-clinical style, the book covers relevant issues and concerns for children of all ages, such as:
Labeling & explaining private body parts;

Identifying & expressing emotions;

Respecting personal space;

Teaching self-care & hygiene;

Understanding norms of privacy;

Understanding gender identity;

Showing appropriate levels of affection.

It also covers later issues that affect teenagers and young adults, including:
Anticipating and understanding puberty;

Dealing with periods, bras for girls;

Experiencing erections, wet dreams for boys;

Relating to the opposite sex;

Sharing parental values about sexuality;

Explaining sexual relationships;

Preventing sexual abuse;

Understanding how Down syndrome affects puberty & fertility rates.

Each chapter highlights important points with key messages, teaching activities, parental pauses, and anecdotes, all of which prompt readers to stop and consider concepts or values associated with a particular topic. The final chapter covers the special concerns of parents who are now teaching teenaged or adult children about sexuality for the first time. It concludes with extensive appendices containing invaluable teaching materials and illustrations of body parts and functions.

Book 2 reviews some of the basics but mostly focuses on more challenging skills that are usually taught in upper elementary, middle school and beyond, such as:
Multiplication & Division: Using manipulatives and a calculator; solving word problems; memorizing multiplication facts.
Fractions: Practicing fractions through cooking, especially measuring for baking; reading and writing mixed numbers (5 1/4); learning fraction equivalents.
Measurement: Measuring to the nearest 1/4 inch; understanding how long a mile is and measurements for temperature, weather, food and units of capacity (cup, pint, quart, gallon).
Money: Adding up mixed coins and bills; banking basics (depositing money, writing and cashing checks); tracking spending; budgeting (understanding the difference between discretionary and necessary purchases).
Decimals: Writing and reading dollar amounts to the 10ths and 100ths; memorizing percentage and fraction equivalents.