This booklet (32 pages) is the first of ten. It introduces the course and is designed for parents who have a child with Down syndrome (ages 0 to 6 or 7).
Here are the titles of the nine chapters, one for each booklet.
1. Motor Development — Learning to Communicate.
2. Fine Motor Development — Knowing Yourself and Understanding Your Environment.
3. Daily Life — Cognitive Development.
4. Who Teaches Your Child in Practice — Everyone Can Help.
5. Your Child's Self-Concept — A Suitable Environment and Clear Limits.
6. Social Development — When Learning Begins.
7. Toward Independence — Your Child's Feelings.
8. Safety at Home and Away — Your Child's Health.
9. Your Child as a Member of Society — Your Child and School.
We read this introduction with interest and warmth. The tone is approachable and straightforward, the layout clear and inviting. But it is the content itself that compels us to endorse and recommend it.
The author created this course because «parents are the most important educational resource a child has (principle 1)»; because «children have their greatest capacity to learn during the years before elementary school (principle 5)» and because «parents want to learn how to make the best possible use of the time they spend with their child» (principle 6)...»
The author's sympathy and understanding for parents shines throughout. He recognizes their «right to be angry», their right to «set boundaries», and their right to «not always be enthusiastic». All his advice is grounded in common sense, expressed with calm clarity. Even his account of the child's needs is complete, free of jargon or unnecessary complications.
What follows is a straightforward yet scientifically sound explanation of Down syndrome and some related medical concerns. At the end, parents are invited to take notes, fill out a questionnaire, and mail it back.
The quality of this introduction promises much for the chapters to come—chapters we hope many parents will follow. For children with Down syndrome especially, «family behavior toward the child will decisively shape the child's own behavior».
* The Course is free for parents; they may make a voluntary contribution if they wish.
Enrollment in the Course can begin at any time of year.
Write to the Counseling and Pedagogical Service • Via Druso 7 • 38100 Trento, specifying your child's name and age.
Tel. (0461) 23.95.95
Course Director Dr. Salvatore Lagati (calagati@tin.it)
Other correspondence courses offered by the Trento Counseling Service:
• Correspondence Course for Parents of Deaf Children
• Correspondence Course for Parents of Blind Children
• Correspondence Course for Parents of Deaf-Blind Children