Help...I don't even know what to title this! Ds info

[julia]

My youngest is in a special needs preschool. I had thought it would be a good idea since I was bringing 4 or my other children back home after two years of private school.

I figured he would get better attention there and it would give me time to get the home front in line again. Also, he could get his therapies there.

UGH! I'm not real happy.

I want to bring him home (I'm working on figuring out the therapies).

What I need is a step by step, idiot proof, guide to what to work on with him. Anyone have any suggestions???

He is fairly high functioning and I don't see that his school is teaching him anything. He knows his letters, can make most of their sounds, is very verbal for a child with Ds, and basically is amazing - IMHO
He is weak in his gross motor skills. His big "handicap" is his hypotonia.

He was 3 in May.

Any ideas?!?

TIA

[Alice R]

I think you need a hierarchy of skills and need to figure out where he is at in each domain.

The Carrolina Curriculum is a nice guide. 0-3 or 3-5yrs.

[Christi in OH]

I was just going to say it sounds like he is doing FANTASTIC!!!!! Just bring him home and love him and follow his lead. Use B4FIAR there are so many activities and lots of ways to think to adapt things to meet goals or do therapy.

Our Ronnie gal has stayed off the "therapy" track pretty much her whole life. I have always felt that she will do what she needs to do when she is ready. She always has she may be a bit slower but she just moves at her own pace.

Blessings to you as you move forward with your little guy. I hope you have lots of fun!

[Robin in Colorado]

We have hypotonia here to varying degrees. The biggest help for me has been to find a good pediatric OT. (The best one we had came to the house.)

She developed several plans and wrote them up for me, things dd could do alone or things we can do as a family. She showed us what to do, and then wrote the specifics so we can to therapy on our own.

That has been wonderful for us...