DR NINA PIYUSH

FOOD TIME STRUGGLE Moms are too much concerned about feeding their children & as this is an universal truth, struggle is an inevitable part regardless of the child being special or typical! But when we are talking about a child with Down Syndrome we need to know few basic reasons for this struggle. Firstly, as I always say rule out any medical cause leading to altered taste, loss of appetite and/or refusal of feed. Look at the reasons other than medical. The child with Down Syndrome has; Smaller oral cavity compared to a typical child of the same age. Shorter & thicker tongue that has less flexibility & space to move. Low muscle tone Poor muscle coordination Poor coordination between the act of push by the tongue & the act of swallowing of the bolus. Delayed & poor dentition (overcrowding & misalignment of teeth) Slower neurotransmission system (The transfer of signal from oral cavity to brain & back from brain to oral cavity) The above

INCLUSION OR HOME SCHOOLING? This question to me is like; 'What do you need to survive - water or air?'  The answer would be a reaction; 'Don't be stupid we need both.'  We die immediately without air & it takes a bit longer to die without water.  Similarly we cannot think about the progress of our children without home schooling. But without inclusion the progress is going to stop or slow down to a great extent with the increasing age of the child. We, the parents have very tight mental compartments about formal schooling & home schooling. We see them as different entity & treat them like different subjects in the school curriculum. We have fixed parameters to gauge our children. We have lost the ability to see the child as a whole. As a result we keep on evaluating the child through our set standards. We have distorted the true meaning of schooling. These days schooling is equal to report cards. If home schooling is all that is n