Here's the latest article from the Children with Special Needs site at BellaOnline.com.

Finding A New Label for Down Syndrome
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art171867.asp
People with Down syndrome elevate the quality of life and richness of experience we enjoy in our homes, schools and communities. Families of babies and young children are especially struck by the inappropriate connotations the word 'down' has in describing babies, children or adults with DS.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art171867.asp

Sometimes we don't have a lot of time to be thinking about how we refer to our children's challenges, developmental delays, health condition or disability. Although there has been a great deal of discussion about the shortcomings of a 'medical model' versus a whole person, person-first model, it is often difficult for us as well as parents of mainstream kids to re-evaluate perspectives on any of our children when they are very young, dependent and vulnerable. The best advice we may hear is this is not a dress rehearsal for life, so we should go for maximum enjoyment and individuality from the start.

There are new links at the article:
Future Sibling Support and Down Syndrome
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art172126.asp

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We are all hoping for the best and hopefully are prepared for the worst as Hurricane Irene demonstrates the impact a huge storm makes along the Atlantic Coast. Many families have been dealing with sweltering heat and other weather - related difficulties this summer that have a strong impact on our son's and daughter's sense of well-being and safety. Whether you deal with these events with practical preparations, humor when the best laid plans go wrong, or just climb under the covers and hide, remember you are not alone.

And after the event, you can have a twenty minute meditation visualizing yourself doing whatever you believe you should have done in preparation, and make that part of your memory of planning for and coping with the event. Sometimes regular life can be overwhelming - and most emergencies, including awful weather, are way beyond our control Please share your stories, encouragement, and complaints with one another so none of us forgets we each have a community and a voice.

Many of us imagine that we did just the opposite of what we should have done when we have the benefit of hindsight. This may be the best opportunity we have this year to model laughing at our own mistakes in front of our children.

And when the power comes back on, if you are still gathering up the strength to comment, reassure others or complain, visit specialneedschildren.bellaonline.com for articles of interest about Children with Special Needs with your child's diagnosis or any other. I write each article for just one reader at a time. Let me know if there is a topic you would like to explore that I should research, too.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Children with Special Needs located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=57

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

After School Homeschooling
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45893.asp

Children with Spina Bifida
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32709.asp

Service Animals and Childhood Disability
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art61552.asp

Homeschooling Children with Special Needs
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45894.asp

Pamela Wilson, Children with Special Needs Editor
http://specialneedschildren.bellaonline.com

Shopping on Amazon.com?
Please use a link that benefits the Children with Special Needs website
via a link in any article or at Amazon aStores:

Down Syndrome Advocacy
http://astore.amazon.com/downsyndrome-20/

Children with Special Needs
http://astore.amazon.com/specialneed0e-20/

Follow the Children with Special Needs editor on twitter for disability
information, resources and support, at http://www.twitter.com/downsynadvocacy

Before the First Week of School - Children with Special Needs
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art52101.asp

School Bus Rides - Children with Special Needs
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45298.asp

Teens with Disabilities Transition to Adulthood
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33519.asp

Back to School with Diabetes
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art52832.asp

Back to School with Down Syndrome
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art63002.asp

Kindergarten Transition
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art49718.asp

Transition Planning for Teens w/ Disabilities
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art57505.asp

Back to School with Celiac Disease
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art52323.asp

Inspirational Mothers - Down Syndrome Advocacy
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art172101.asp

Toilet Training and Inclusive Education
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art170422.asp

Social Matches and Teens with Disabilities
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art67786.asp

Party Hardy Yardy
http://tinyurl.com/WllmsnPrtyHrdyYrdy -
Blair Williamson (actor who has Down syndrome), his mom and dad put up a video asking HGTV to redo their back yard. Please watch their video and write a comment telling HGTV that redoing the yard would help LA's disability community, the Born to Act Players, and all who will meet and celebrate there in the
future. Or just give the video 5 stars! It is a fun video to watch.
http://my.hgtv.com/hgtvd/Yard/Party-Hardy-Yardy/detail.esi?oid=24871012

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