Tedeschi's Testimony
The N.D. program offers hope where there is none and a future to all of those who embrace the program!
I came to Linda Kane in January of 2005. I came with despair and apprehension. My 9 year old Down syndrome son was developmentally, I figured, about 2 years old. You can imagine the exhaustion and hopelessness after 9 years with a 2-year-old who didn't take naps!
My son I knew was intelligent. He figured out locks and escaped into the roads and lakes. Yes, you heard it right. We were stressed to say the least.
The teachers at school told me that he received plenty of stimulation at school. They told me it was okay to give him free time when he came home. So after a long, tiring day at school I would give him long warm bubble baths and he would look at his hands close up and move the bubbles close to his face. I thought this was quirky but let it go. We indulged our loved little boy in the things he liked best. Musical toys and more musical toys! We let him exercise in the "Johnny Jump Up”. We thought we were being good parents. As much as we could be. After all, he was safe… he was playing in a contained area. Safety was and is a very big thing for me.
We noticed him rocking back and forth. He gave us no eye contact. Meanwhile in this 9 year time span he broke thousands [no exaggeration] of dollars worth of windows in our beautiful brand new home.
We were tired. I heard outsiders, who I thought were my allies, behind my back complain to each other that they didn't think I was doing enough for my son. I did everything the teachers told me to do. I did all the homework during mid winter break, spring break etc. that they told me to do. Why is it, anyway, that the mother's get beat up by people...don't husbands count! I was hurt and angry that these people who were suppose to be on my side had betrayed me with their words.
I took those emotions and in prayer I asked for guidance. The next day God answered! I noticed a Down syndrome girl very appropriately and quietly looking at magazines in my daughter's dentist office. I hesitated but then went over to her mother. She told me about the N.D. program.
Enter Linda Kane. She spent an hour evaluating my son and over an hour speaking to me. She explained that all the activities he was doing were a form of stimulatory play or "Stimming". Stimulatory play is what babies naturally do. They look at their hands close up, and move things close their face. Typical children move on from that developmental stage---Downs children often don't.
She explained to me that they do this form of play because it gives them an endorphin rush and it relaxes them. Unfortunately this behavior does not require them to think...they "space out" and regress about 100miles/hour! I had no idea!
Instead she gave us several things to do with him physically and mental exercises to create neurological connections in the brain. Explaining to me that the brain is very pliable and open to change and growth if given the right stimulation.
One month after the program his teachers asked what we were doing differently. In their words they called it a miracle. 5 months after the program I brought my son home to implement the program more. I realized to create a normal acting child it was important to have him in a normal acting environment. Although the school tried a little, they were "stuck in their ways" and I found them frustrating to work with.
We are now at the 10-month mark. My son now looks us in the eyes when he speaks to us. In the beginning his words became more frequent. Then his words became short sentences. Month by month his sentences are becoming clearer and longer. He is calmer than he has ever been. He plays appropriately and independently. That is a miracle if you knew him before! The tactile stimulation has enabled him to bite into hard vitamins and apples, something he wouldn't have touch before. Now he doesn't like to eat the vitamins. Not because he doesn't like the hardness to chew, but because "he tells me" he doesn't like the taste! :-)There are probably many more things I could say but these are just a few!
My heart brings to mind the story of Pinocchio. Gheppeto wished for a "real” boy. Like Gheppeto we yearned for a son we could interact with. We are experiencing through the ND program our son's re-birth. I now have a little boy who interacts with me. A son who is affectionate, instead of being destructive.
I don't know where you are. Are you new to the program or have you been at it for several months, or even years? You are making a difference. Every child is different. It will take time and hard work. But you, with God's help, are creating a champion in yourself and in your child! Attitude is altitude. Stay positive and make it fun! My son likes the word "Cuckoo" So we call it "Cuckoo School." :-) Don't be overwhelmed and wonder how you will do it. Look for ways to fit it in when you can. So many things can be done on the "go". Positive response tapes in the car. Other exercises here and there. Utilize your family. Hire and train a high school student to do program. I found some that were interested in special ed. as careers and pay them $5.00/hr.
You CAN do this. Remember the old saying, where there is a will there is a way. You CAN find the way. It is there, you just have to look for it. Give yourself lots of room for being human. Balance expecting a lot from yourself with love and understanding. For not being perfect or even far from perfect.
A little program is better than nothing and a lot is awesome. There is time in this life for both.
Last of all; please take care of yourself. Get your sleep, exercise, and enjoy that quiet cup of tea, and rest in the fact that God knows you. He is intimately aquatinted with your ways. He is always with you to guide you and to encourage you. Rest in that...
Recently my son was very appropriately in a waiting room quietly looking at a book. I had a flashback to the girl several months before that I had met. The dream is coming true for us and it truly will for you too. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence not yet seen. The "evidence" will be seen if you don't lose heart.
I'm sorry this got long. But how can you put a changed family's life into just a few short paragraphs!! Sincerely,
Kathie Tedeschi
Seattle,Washington
Back to Testimonies
I came to Linda Kane in January of 2005. I came with despair and apprehension. My 9 year old Down syndrome son was developmentally, I figured, about 2 years old. You can imagine the exhaustion and hopelessness after 9 years with a 2-year-old who didn't take naps!
My son I knew was intelligent. He figured out locks and escaped into the roads and lakes. Yes, you heard it right. We were stressed to say the least.
The teachers at school told me that he received plenty of stimulation at school. They told me it was okay to give him free time when he came home. So after a long, tiring day at school I would give him long warm bubble baths and he would look at his hands close up and move the bubbles close to his face. I thought this was quirky but let it go. We indulged our loved little boy in the things he liked best. Musical toys and more musical toys! We let him exercise in the "Johnny Jump Up”. We thought we were being good parents. As much as we could be. After all, he was safe… he was playing in a contained area. Safety was and is a very big thing for me.
We noticed him rocking back and forth. He gave us no eye contact. Meanwhile in this 9 year time span he broke thousands [no exaggeration] of dollars worth of windows in our beautiful brand new home.
We were tired. I heard outsiders, who I thought were my allies, behind my back complain to each other that they didn't think I was doing enough for my son. I did everything the teachers told me to do. I did all the homework during mid winter break, spring break etc. that they told me to do. Why is it, anyway, that the mother's get beat up by people...don't husbands count! I was hurt and angry that these people who were suppose to be on my side had betrayed me with their words.
I took those emotions and in prayer I asked for guidance. The next day God answered! I noticed a Down syndrome girl very appropriately and quietly looking at magazines in my daughter's dentist office. I hesitated but then went over to her mother. She told me about the N.D. program.
Enter Linda Kane. She spent an hour evaluating my son and over an hour speaking to me. She explained that all the activities he was doing were a form of stimulatory play or "Stimming". Stimulatory play is what babies naturally do. They look at their hands close up, and move things close their face. Typical children move on from that developmental stage---Downs children often don't.
She explained to me that they do this form of play because it gives them an endorphin rush and it relaxes them. Unfortunately this behavior does not require them to think...they "space out" and regress about 100miles/hour! I had no idea!
Instead she gave us several things to do with him physically and mental exercises to create neurological connections in the brain. Explaining to me that the brain is very pliable and open to change and growth if given the right stimulation.
One month after the program his teachers asked what we were doing differently. In their words they called it a miracle. 5 months after the program I brought my son home to implement the program more. I realized to create a normal acting child it was important to have him in a normal acting environment. Although the school tried a little, they were "stuck in their ways" and I found them frustrating to work with.
We are now at the 10-month mark. My son now looks us in the eyes when he speaks to us. In the beginning his words became more frequent. Then his words became short sentences. Month by month his sentences are becoming clearer and longer. He is calmer than he has ever been. He plays appropriately and independently. That is a miracle if you knew him before! The tactile stimulation has enabled him to bite into hard vitamins and apples, something he wouldn't have touch before. Now he doesn't like to eat the vitamins. Not because he doesn't like the hardness to chew, but because "he tells me" he doesn't like the taste! :-)There are probably many more things I could say but these are just a few!
My heart brings to mind the story of Pinocchio. Gheppeto wished for a "real” boy. Like Gheppeto we yearned for a son we could interact with. We are experiencing through the ND program our son's re-birth. I now have a little boy who interacts with me. A son who is affectionate, instead of being destructive.
I don't know where you are. Are you new to the program or have you been at it for several months, or even years? You are making a difference. Every child is different. It will take time and hard work. But you, with God's help, are creating a champion in yourself and in your child! Attitude is altitude. Stay positive and make it fun! My son likes the word "Cuckoo" So we call it "Cuckoo School." :-) Don't be overwhelmed and wonder how you will do it. Look for ways to fit it in when you can. So many things can be done on the "go". Positive response tapes in the car. Other exercises here and there. Utilize your family. Hire and train a high school student to do program. I found some that were interested in special ed. as careers and pay them $5.00/hr.
You CAN do this. Remember the old saying, where there is a will there is a way. You CAN find the way. It is there, you just have to look for it. Give yourself lots of room for being human. Balance expecting a lot from yourself with love and understanding. For not being perfect or even far from perfect.
A little program is better than nothing and a lot is awesome. There is time in this life for both.
Last of all; please take care of yourself. Get your sleep, exercise, and enjoy that quiet cup of tea, and rest in the fact that God knows you. He is intimately aquatinted with your ways. He is always with you to guide you and to encourage you. Rest in that...
Recently my son was very appropriately in a waiting room quietly looking at a book. I had a flashback to the girl several months before that I had met. The dream is coming true for us and it truly will for you too. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence not yet seen. The "evidence" will be seen if you don't lose heart.
I'm sorry this got long. But how can you put a changed family's life into just a few short paragraphs!! Sincerely,
Kathie Tedeschi
Seattle,Washington
Back to Testimonies
