A dual diagnosis: How participation in community life can be possible

The Playhouse, in collaboration with Madison Area Down Syndrome Society (MADSS), and support for program development from GiGi’s, INC. has been piloting a program for families who have loved ones with the dual diagnoses of Down syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder and or sensory/behavioral challenges.  Parents meet separately while participants and siblings are engaged in developmentally-appropriate activities with volunteers.  For one of the sessions, 8 yr. old Max arrived at the Playhouse not even wanting to leave the car, much less entering the Playhouse.  With patient persuasion, he came in, but was reluctant to join in activities.  With this in mind, and in preparation for the next session, Speech and Language Pathologist Kayla Kristensen put together a visual schedule video with the help of Site Manager Julia and Program Co-Leader Sue.  The video was sent to Max’s mother and other families prior to the next session.  Max played the video over and over again at home, and, at the next session, walked in the door with the greatest of ease, appearing relaxed and comfortable throughout the session.  Since then, a continuing focus on communication for Max has resulted in increased participation in activities.  His mother has commented “Because of our son’s dual diagnosis of DS and ASD, it can be challenging sometimes to participate in community activities. By identifying and accommodating anxiety & special communication support needs, GiGi’s playhouse has helped us to see how participation in community life can be possible for us. At our last visit to GiGi’s, our son looked radiantly happy by the end of the session! He has also sometimes initiated communication at GiGi’s in a way that we rarely see outside of the home. We are very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program!”