Reading a book at school

[Guest guest]

,

thanks for writing back. No, I had not sent it yet, because I couldn't find my copy of the book!! Your email was a reminder to check if 's teacher's still had it at school, and they did.

Here you go. The text is on one page and a picture/drawing on the other. Each paragraph here is a page:

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Hi! My name is Nick, and I have Down Syndrome. I was born with Down syndrome (or DS for short), and I will have it for the rest of my life. Some things about me are different from you. But if you get to know me, you'll find out we have lots of things in common.

I love chocolate ice cream. Is that your favorite too?

Some kids with DS go to special schools, but not me. I go to a public school with all sorts of kids. Some have disabilities like me, but most of them don't.

I think it's great that we all get to meet each other and learn from each other.

I started going to school when I was just a baby. My doctor told my mom it was a good idea to get me started at school early so I could get a head start. One thing you might notice about me is that I don't learn as fast as you do. I have to work extra hard to understand things at school.

I m working super hard on my reading right now, because I want to read all the same books that you can read!

There are other things that are hard for me too. Sometimes I stutter or don't speak very clearly. Mrs. Randall, a special kind of teacher called a "speech therapist" helps me exercise the muscles in my mouth. We practice the sounds of letters and words. You may have trouble understanding what I say. If you do, just ask me to say it again. You can ask my teacher to help too.

It really helps me if you take time to try and understand me!

Not all kids with DS are the same. Some of them have more trouble learning than I do. I am lucky because I am learning handwriting and math. Some kids with DS can't do that.

Sometimes, kids with DS have other problems with their health. When I was just a baby, there was a tiny hole inside my heart. I had an operation to patch up the hole. Now I’m good as new!

Good thing my mom met some smart doctors!

I also look a little different than you. Most people with DS are short, like me. I don't mink being short though. It means I can find more places to hide with we play Hide 'n Seek!

I also have short, stubby fingers. My eyes are slanted too. My mom says that when I smile, you can barely see my eyes at all! I like to smile a lot!

You can't catch DS from me or anyone else. Either you are born with it, or you aren't. It's not a sickness, like a cold or flu. So it's OK to play with me! In fact, I would love playing with you. I like having fun, just like you do.

My friends are very important to me.

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You get the idea. This is about 2/3 of the story. There are nice illustrations on each page, and questions in the back of the book to facilitate classroom discussion. I got the book at www.SpecialNeeds.com for $11.95

I hope that gives you the information you wanted!

Casey