Early intervention key to Down Syndrome kids success
Last week we told you about an American woman visiting Belize to inspire others who have Down Syndrome. Tonight, Jacqueline Woods looks at the lives of some of the people she came to meet and the families who share a special interest in seeing their loved ones live full, happy, productive lives no matter what the prognosis may have been when they were born.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Meet eighteen year old Cassiana Bowman. Cassy, as she is affectionately known was born with the genetic condition called Down Syndrome. She is one of forty Belizeans identified as living with the birth defect that mostly affects a person?s developmental skills. In Cassiana?s case, DS has greatly impaired her speech and affected her mental and mobility skills. In fact, when she was born her parents thought she might never even walk– but she finally made her first steps at four years of age. Dorla Bowman says Cassiana never did creep, but simply stood up one day and started walking. From the beginning, this little girl had to overcome some big hurdles, but Cassiana not only survived open heart surgery, she continued to amaze her friends, teachers, and medical professionals with her strong determination to grow and thrive.
Children with Down Syndrome are often regarded as people who are mentally retarded with little hope of living productive lives, but Dr. Francis Smith says children like his son Zachary can not only be taught to take care of themselves, they can mature into productive adults.
Dr. Francis Smith, Parent
?These children do not have to be a burden for their parents or for the community. If with a positive attitude and with the proper intervention we can teach them, they are able to fend for themselves. They can bathe themselves, they can put on their clothes, they can go to school, they can even live a life with gainful employment. So they can work, live by themselves they don?t even have to be depending on their parents.?
The Bowman family has not only showered Cassiana with lots of love and attention; they have also given her the support she needs to develop. Cassiana was never sheltered and always encouraged to become involved in as many activities as possible.
Dorla Bowman, Mother
?If you keep them away from going out that would keep their development backward, like they won?t develop as fast as you wish. So I think that is very important, and also to give them all the love that you can.?
Currently there are four children with Down Syndrome attending Stella Maris, a special education institution. Eleanor Enriquez?Castillo is the Coordinator at the Special Education Unit. She says the earlier the attention and intervention, the greater the achievements of children with special needs.
Eleanor Castillo?Enriquez, Coord, Special Education Unit
?Our main thrust in education now is for inclusion. We want all our children to be included in society, in all community activities which means schooling, in leisure time activities, health activities, anything, any kind of activities. We want our children to be able to fully participate in those activities that society has to offer.?
Twenty-eight year old Karen Gaffney is one person living with Down Syndrome who has spent most of her life proving the experts wrong. Today, she is not only a teacher but an inspirational speaker to many like herself. Barbara Gaffney says she realized that the only way her daughter would succeed was by getting her off to an early start. Karen not only started to read at age two, she was able to fully participate in regular classroom settings all the way through to the community college level. Karen and Barbara were invited to Belize to share their experience.
Barbara Gaffney, Karen?s Mother
?She didn?t start out any better or any stronger. She had the same list of problems. Not everybody gets everything, but Karen got a pretty good chunk of that list. But the difference is that your environment, your surroundings can help bridge the gap.?
?A lot of it is people having the understanding that our children can learn, our children can be included, and our children can contribute to the community around them.?
Karen Gaffney, Inspirational Speaker
?Don?t give up on your children, they want to be included like everyone else. They may make friends down the path along the way as they grow up and grow older. I would just say try to help the child to be the very best they can.?
The purpose of the Gaffney?s visit was to raise awareness and promote inclusion in the main stream schools and the society at large. Dr. Victor Rosado is a paediatrician and chairperson of the Stella Maris Board.
Dr. Victor Rosado, Chairperson, Stella Maris Board
?Create an enabling environment so that people with disabilities have access to health care, so that people with disabilities have access to proper education, so that in the future they have access to proper jobs, so that they have access to public buildings, to parking. All of that needs to be fitted in legislature to protect these people.?
Barbara Bowman
?Since I had to do so many things, like taking Cassy to different types of school, I think they should have programmes set up for children that need these types of special care and try to get them integrated into the regular school.?
Stella Maris is in the process of training its teachers to deal with children with special needs, even given a lack of human and physical resources. As for Cassiana, she presently attends post primary at Stella Maris and plans to take care of children when she graduates. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
The Parents Association for Children With Special Needs is working to build a resource centre for all children with special needs to help them in their development.
