a little more about Chris

[Guest guest]

Hi I sent a roll call in a little while ago, but I may have

accidentally sent it to owner, so hopefully will post it if its

not already up.

Anyway, after reading this post from , (whose posts I have

ALWAYS loved!), I wanted to write a little more about and also

some of the methods they've used to include him.

is the manager for the middle school basketball team, and plays

basketball, softball, and soccer with other kids with disabilities.

He volunteers at the local children's museum. He is very proud that,

like his older sister, he too has a job. He can quote long passages

from his favorite movies. I think actually he can quote many whole

movies, given visual prompts, because they are important to him.

Remembering stuff that is not important to him is an entirely

different story. He is better than I am at most computer and video

games. He is the one in the family I ask when I can't find

something, because he has a great memory for that sort of thing.

Behavior has never been an issue with Chris. To be honest, he is the

easiest of my 3 children when it comes to that! (Although that may

be as much from the fact that boys in general are easier than girls,

something I would not have believed before having them.) He reads

now at probably a high second or low third grade level. He can do

written 3 digit addition with carrying as long as he can use his

fingers. He can add coins while sitting down at a table but not

standing up with it in his hand-- does anybody else have that

issue?? If he works on it regularly, he can skip count by 5's, 10's,

25's to 100 or so, but will forget it if he doesn't work on it

regularly. He can do subtraction but gets confused about it. (They

have been doing the 7+___ = 15 type of problems as well as 15-7=___,

and I have been working on getting him to remember that he can just

count after 7 up to 15, holding up fingers, for either one.) He went

this year on the eighth grade trip to DC and had a blast. He can

remember the history and science and other stuff like that for a

short period of time, but generally has forgotten all but the most

important of it by the end of the year. (For example, when they were

studying it, he could have told you that " 4 score and 7 years ago "

was part of the Gettysburg address, given by Lincoln, but a few

months later I am sure the words " Gettysburg address " would have just

drawn a blank stare. He does remember that Lincoln is a president

and is on the penny.) Nevertheless, because I want him to be

included, he learns about some of that stuff in class, even though we

don't think its really what's important for him and don't think he'll

remember it, because it IS important that he be included with the

class. At his school, everyone, K-12, takes a foreign language, so

takes French, but we are working on single digit addition and

time in the French language (in addition to some other things like

greetings, introductions, etc), so he is really working on his goals

in there. Thankfully, this year the class he is in is also working

on math in French, just more extensive problems, so he's more a part

of it. He is pulled out for reading and math for close to half of

most of his regular classes, so he's getting some of what everyone is

doing while still concentrating on the essentials. We only had

pullouts a few times a week in previous years, but we have come to

the conclusion that, at least for he can't get all of what he

needs for those subjects in a regular ed class with a few pullouts.

He plays percussion in the band, but he doesn't have any supports in

there and the band director doesn't know or care to learn how to

teach HIM along with the rest of the class, so in high school he is

switching to chorus, as is a good regular ed friend of his. (We

discovered, when he was in his first musical this past summer, that

while doesn't sing well, he really LIKES to sing and is not

afraid to sing loud. : ) He is pulled out more from algebra than

his other classes, as it is the hardest class to include him, but

they have done a good job with it-- the class as a whole, including

does problems the first 10 minutes of class, and then she has

6 people write their problems on the board, and does this right

along with everyone else, although his problem is much simpler.

Because he has been included since kindergarten with these same kids,

they are very supportive. Some teachers have commented on what a

great class this particular grade is, and how good with each other as

a whole, and I have no doubt it is because of Chris. The school uses

cooperative learning, which lends itself very well to inclusion. I

wish they did more peer tutoring, but they are starting to do that,

anyway. His teachers and the inclusion teacher and sometimes I think

the administrators have a collaboration session once per week, which

I think is essential to making inclusion work. He had a terrific

language arts teacher last semester, fresh out of school who really

understands differentiated learning, and whose very first project was

to choose 1 of about 5 different ways to do a project on The

Outsiders, such as reenact a scene from it, do the sound effects for

it, do a movie poster for a remake using current stars, etc, which

was great. (did a tape of the sound effects.) While usually

his drawing skills are very rudimentary and generally require alot of

coaching, he did some fantastic drawings in art last quarter that I

wouldn't have thought him capable of, by using a light box.

I could not agree more with , that our kids with DS, like all

our other kids, all have very scattered skills, all have strengths

and weaknesses, areas they do very well and areas they do not so well.

As for 's request about info on other family members, Dan and

the girls are doing fine. The girls have grown up smart and

beautiful. (I would say like their brother, but would take

very strong exception to being called beautiful and even cute. " Boys

aren't cute, mom. I'm handsome. " ) Like the girls also do

some modelling. They are both straight A students. As for me, I am

a lot less stressed since leaving the practice of law. Oh, and for

those who don't know me, I have been on this list since was

about 2, but don't read it often anymore. My claim to fame is I am

the only one on the list(I think) who has ever met Gem, aka " granny " ,

aka " B.S. Pyle " , in person. : ) There is in fact a picture of us

both floating around somewhere to prove it, lol. Is she still around?

Take care!

Amy P.

>

> I need to input something here. I am hearing many comments on

the " roll call " about how some of the children aren't as advanced or

developed as they are hearing from others on the list.

> While there are varying degrees of ability within the down syndrome

spectrum, I think it is important to read what people are saying.

> My son is very musically and physically inclined and we support and

encourage that. Academically, he is NOT where I would like to see

him, and I don't know if he ever will be. He is very socially

appropriate (most of the time) and we really work on that because he

is going to have to live in the real world and socialize/work with

the typical population. We are very proud of what he can do socially.

> But he can't count money. He has learned this year to count by 5's

to 50 and is doing touch money. But my daughter in 1st grade is

quickly passing him up.

> Reading is the same.. he reads at a high 2nd grade level, when I

can force him to read.

> He's 17. I had wanted more for him by now. But he is who he is.

> Now, he can go out with his typical peers and play a game of

basketball or football. He can learn the songs on his drum that he

needs to for marching band, and he can program the DVD (which his dad

and I can't), and he knows all the football teams and the players and

their numbers... but he can't read much.

> So.. while it might sound like some of the kids are high

functioning all around.. and some of the kids ARE high functioning

(hate those terms but they explain what I want to say)... for the

most part.. all of our kids have scattered levels.. and you'll find

that as your children get older.. they will excell in some areas and

struggle in others.

> Hmmm... just like our typical kids.. right?

> Enjoy your children, encourage where you need, push where you need,

but pay attention to their successes and LOOK at what they CAN do!!!

It may surprise you.

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