The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
By Sarah Koehn For me, this is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Especially the anticipation of the 4th of July, which is my favorite holiday. It’s the culmination of summer and a guaranteed day off. It lacks the stress of other holidays and is truly about relaxing in...
Aaaaah Summer
By Sarah Koehn Happy Summer to all of you! These past 2 weeks have been full of change for me personally as well for GiGi’s. My kids started camp this week; for Daphne it’s a return to last summer’s routine with some familiar faces and for Jacqueline and Harvey it’s...
the fool proof guide to loving our special needs family.
Thank you Beth for sharing this great post with the GiGi’s Playhouse community! Judah and his family can be found enjoy the programs and friendships at GiGi’s Playhouse Syracuse. You don’t have to look too far into the world of special needs to find it chock full of inspirational stories....
Living with UP syndrome
This speech was wrote by Jacob West. Thank you for sharing with us and for doing an awesome job on your speech at our World Down Syndrome Day Party! My name is Jacob and I am 23 years old, I’m about to 24 in May. People treat me differently because I...
World Down Syndrome Day feels good this year
Written by Sarah Koehn This year, World Down Syndrome Day feels more meaningful for me personally, as Daphne’s Mom, and I’m not sure why. I’m using this blog post to ponder that question. Maybe it’s because this past year has witnessed such tremendous growth in her, and several of the...
“Holden is the most incredible gift, we didn’t know to ask for.”
Written by Jaclyn Skalnik "Holden is the most incredible gift, we didn't know to ask for." This is a phrase that I am reminded of daily, even when we have hard days. Within the Down syndrome community, there are ranges of emotions that a parent can cycle through on a...
IF PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME RULED THE WORLD
Written by Dennis McGuire, PhD Scrolling through Facebook, we noticed that the National Association for Down Syndrome (NADS) shared an AWESOME article we could not wait to share with you all! Enjoy! Affection, hugging and caring for others would make a big comeback. Despite the fact that my family was...
“Find heart, mama love me”
This post was written by Gina Alternburg, mother to Gracyn and Gage. Thank you so much for sharing your special story with us! There were two things I always knew I wanted to be when I grew up. One was to be a special education teacher and the other was...
FINDING THE BEAUTY WITHIN LIFE’S CHALLENGES
Written by Jen Sexton MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014 This blog post was written by one of our families whose little 'peanut' as they call her, is now two years old. Thank you for sharing the story of your prenatal diagnosis with us! I’ve always imagined myself having children. Sure, there was...
Spreading the word on world down syndrome day!
1. Showing videos that demonstrate that people with Down syndrome are "More Alike Than Different". Such as #11 on this webpage: https://www.babble.com/babble-voices/world-down-syndrome-day-21-ways-to-celebrate/ scroll to #11. 2. Sharing 21 facts about Down syndrome 3. Read an age-appropriate book about Down syndrome in the classroom, ask kids to share experiences they might have with...
preparing for an iep meeting
It is important to always keep an open line of communication with your child’s IEP team, especially in the weeks leading up to your meeting. Be sure to touch base with your child’s teacher and each therapist to discuss areas of strength, concern, progress on goals, and their thoughts for...
Six Tips to help learners with Down Syndrome be their best of all
Children with Down syndrome are capable learners who are excited and eager to learn. They just need to be given the opportunity to excel. They may learn at a slower pace, but are more than capable of learning. They are strong visual learners. This means that they understand what they...