Reid took Gwyn to her Speech Therapy appointment Saturday morning and I went into Atlanta for a Parent Liaison training from the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. It was held at the new Down syndrome awareness center Gigi's Playhouse. There was so much great information: things I can use in my new volunteer role of being a parent contact for hospitals and new families; and info I can use for Gwyn's health and development. It was a very motivational day for me and I came away with printed materials that I can start to distribute to local doctor's offices.
Separate from our official training session, we got to hear from the director of Gigi's Atlanta location. She described a list of items called "Formula 21" that affect kids with Down syndrome and should be addressed in their Early Intervention program: http://theskatefoundation.com/Formula21.html Most of these issues I have not thought very much about and I feel like I need to do some catch up with Gwyneth now. She is way overdue to have her first sleep study for sleep apnea and I feel guilty about that. I did a small amount of oral motor exercises when she was younger and I think that has improved her speech. And we do have a fairly healthy diet, but I'm interested in learning what more we could do nutritionally to give her the healthiest outcomes in her life.
Here are links to information on sleep apnea and healthcare guidelines for young kids with Down syndrome:
http://downsyndrome.nacd.org/sleep_apnea.php
http://www.ndss.org/Resources/Health-Care/Health-Care-Guidelines/Ages-1-5/
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