Brag Time! : Canadian Down Syndrome Awareness Week

K brought home her first report card ever this week. I was a little nervous as I opened the envelope.........it seemed to me like she has been doing well but I was still a little unsure about seeing it in black & white just in case.

The good news? She rocked it! 

There are 4 categories.:
1. I know/do this very well
2. I usually know/ do this
3. I need Assistance
4. I am experiencing difficulty with this skill

K got almost all 1's & every academic category was scored a 1 - even gross motor coordination which is a little tougher for a kid with lower tone. There were a few 2's & they were not a surprise. They were for things like exhibiting coordination in fine motor/ printing legibly(which is really improving) &  following  directions - which has improved drastically after that blip we had the first couple of weeks of school explanation here:

She did not get any 3's or 4's at all! 

We went for a child led parent teacher interview last night. The thing that excited
 me the most is that for the first time I was able to see how well K can learn in a 
large group. I am very confident of her abilities to learn in a small group & of 
course one on one but 15 kids is a big jump from the 5 or 6 kids that were in her 
preschool class. They are working in a phonics program that has little actions 
for each word. K was able to show me an accurate sign for each letter they had 
learned & even a few that they hadn't worked on yet. 

I'm so proud of this kid!

Canadian Down Syndrome Awareness Week - Excitement about the dentist?????????

It's not very often that I am so excited about a medical (actually in this case dental) appointment but I am like a little kid in my excitement today!

I have finally found a dentist that I really believe is right for our family.  He is a holistic dentist/orthodontist & very knowledgeable not only about dental concerns but health & diet as well.  Every time we see him we have the most fascinating discussions & I learn so much.

Today we went to take molds of my daughter KJ's teeth so he could get a dental appliance made for her.  It is a simple wire that sits behind her teeth & will basically take the place of braces.  

The first indicator that something about the visit was going to be a little different?

He talked about KJ's posture.........what does posture have to do with teeth?  It was fascinating to see the pictures he had taken. There were horizontal & vertical lines on the pictures & with that visual it was simple to see that KJ's posture was not correct & even her jaw was much more developed on one side than the other.  It was even more fascinating when he explained how her teeth were affecting the rest of  her body. I'm excited to see the results!


Okay, so I wrote this about a month ago but didn't get a chance to finish it & today we were back for KJ's first refitting.  I'm still thrilled with the dentist but not quite so excited today as I also had an appointment & had  4 large mercury fillings removed :(     .............but that's enough complaining:)   I'm sure I'll free great soon because of the large amount of mercury they removed.  KJ is doing well & sailed through her appointment.

Next it was K's turn.  Dr. D is monitoring K because as soon as he believes her mouth is ready she will also get an appliance.  He feels her mouth needs to be just a little more mature. He is planning to do it soon but doesn't think she is quite ready yet. The bad news is that she had an area on her tooth that was just starting to decay.  She didn't need a filling but required a sealant.  We all wondered how she would do.  Remember, this little girl was terrified of going to a doctors as recently as a year ago. We were hopeful though because we have put a lot of effort into making the dentist a fun experience.  We've just never had to put her through anything besides a quick check & tooth count before. All of our home made "Going to the Dentist/Doctor type books have paid off because she was wonderful today.  It was a quick procedure but did require a piece of protective padding stuffed in her cheek & some noisy, vibrating implements.  She was smiling when it ended & high fived Dr. D as she hopped down from the chair to go look for a prize (actually 6 of them - they spoil the kids there!).

Although K is not ready for an appliance yet, I asked him about the MYO appliance that K's nerodevelopmentalist had recommended.  The Myo has also been talked about on a couple of DS boards lately & a few other families are trying it as well. I had hoped the MYO would help prepare her mouth for the appliance a little more quickly.  I was disappointed to hear that Dr. D had tried similar devices in the past but just hadn't seen the results he had hoped for.  He doesn't think it will do any harm though so suggested trying it to see if there are some improvements. 

I am going to take some pictures to try to document if there are any changes & I'll update as we go.