http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:39:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en How do we establish the value of our children? On what basis is this value determined? For example is there a point system of some kind for children who are born with diabetes, autism, or Down syndrome. And how does that point system compare against the typical/normals attending our neighborhood schools? After all, ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/07/22/the-educational-inclusion-equation/ It is our position that children born with Down syndrome do not belong in facilities, group homes, or institutions. The absence of parents and siblings to emulate, to love and be loved by, is the tragic loss in these placements. And the excuses offered by administrators, doctors, rabbis, and parents, ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/26/goin-home/ The credit for the discovery for the syndrome initially identified by Dr. John Langdon Down in London during the middle 1800's was certainly an important finding. Dr. Down was a physician who worked in the various asylums of London and took copious notes in order to better relate his various ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/21/credit-where-credit-is-due/ When John Langdon Down made his initial list of symptoms that he used to identify the original characteristics he attributed to the syndrome bearing his name there was a list of 12 . Today most experts agree that there are more than sixty such identifiable characteristics and there are several ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/21/ongoing-educational-evolution/ Giving a child with Down syndrome, or any other disability for that matter, away may allow for an easier life for the parents, but what about the other family members who never get consulted about this decision? A family is a shared inheritance, a glorious legacy, and that legacy is ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/21/what-about-the-family/ With the arrival of summer it is time once again to get out the suit cases and begin the laborious process of labeling all of our children’s clothing and personal affects. With the conclusion of another school year we find ourselves in a small but semi serious panic for in ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/20/summer-reminder/ Many families in the orthodox community have become cognizant of their eating and health patterns. This proactive practice of healthy living has evolved because of a heightened awareness of the potential for good results from better living practices. Preventing illness and protecting our children is as a result of better dietary choices and avoiding chemicals and excesses in our lives.  Prevention has ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/18/its-all-in-the-timing/ We have had the fortune of having a very good friend who is deaf. He will often show up at our house unannounced and his intermittent visits while welcomed are usually a challenge for everyone in the house at the time. That is we all need to adapt to his ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/17/the-real-challenge-the-real-change/   We began visiting parents in the hospital immediately after they had given birth to a baby born with Down syndrome. It was our custom to bring a bouquet of flowers and to enter the hospital room as cheerful as possible wishing everyone "mazel tov" and offering our general congratulations.The response ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/11/when-logic-eludes-us/ Acceptance emanates from an inner strength that we all have. It is not always a revealed strength until it is tapped. The courage to draw upon this energy is to overcome the fear of the unknown. This hidden strength then is the beginning of the march toward acceptance. In order ... http://hearttoheartamerican.org/blog/2007/06/10/acceptance-rejection-and-fear/