Down Syndrome Association,Singapore.

Introduction to down syndrome- What causes down syndrome?

Down syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21. A baby born with Down syndrome has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. As yet it is not known what causes the presence of an extra chromosome 21.  It can come from either the mother or the father.   There is no way of predicting whether a person is more or less likely to make an egg or sperm with 24 chromosomes. There is a definite link with advanced maternal age for reasons yet unknown.  However most babies with Down syndrome are born to women under the age of 35, as younger women have higher fertility rates. It occurs in all races, social classes and in all countries throughout the world.  It can happen to anyone.

DSA Singapore is actually very helpful and supportive towards those families with down syndrome kids. DSA is also continuously updating their events for people suffering from down syndrome to participate actively outdoors and indoors. Events like movie marathon, Bowling, Soccer, Yoga, Dance, Swimming..etc has been organised to let them know that they are not outcast in the society because of their illness but also let them experience activities that can at the same time,  improve their strength and health.

DSA has education and support services like:

(1) Adult services
(2) Children services
(3) Family support services

(1) Adult services

ADULT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (AEP)

The AEP is a skills enhancement program targeted at persons with intellectual disabilities who have graduated from (special) schools at 18 years old. It is a weekly 5-day program from 9.00am to 4.00pm that focuses on:

1. Work Activities (Work)
2. Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
3. Leisure Activities (Leisure)

AEP seeks to enhance the clients’ skills in the above three areas so as to maximize their potential and to help them become more independent and productive in the course of their life. Clients in the program are placed in three tracks of specialization, namely Open Employment/Social Enterprise, Project-based, and Leisure-based tracks, respectively.

(2) Children Services

Integration Facilitation Support Programme (IFSP)

As part of its ongoing efforts to provide support for children with Down syndrome in mainstream education, DSA’s Integration Facilitation Support Programme (IFSP) serves to support children with Down syndrome in mainstream pre-schools and primary schools.

In its continuing outreach and partnership with mainstream schools, DSA is providing a range of school based consultancy services, which include:
Providing teacher training in the school through imparting specific strategies in assisting children with Down syndrome make academic gains.
Training teachers in behaviour management strategies to remediate behaviour problems for the child with Down syndrome by directly working on-site with the teacher in the school and classroom.
Providing workshops and talks to schools in understanding and working with children with Down syndrome.

(3) Family support services

The DSA Family Support Services(FSS) maintains and provides support to four groups to ensure continuous development for the parents/caregivers of persons with Down syndrome –

1. New parents (parents of newborns, toddlers and pre-school children)
2. Young parents (parents of young children/young teens)
3. Mature parents (parents of teenagers and young adults)
4. Siblings (of persons with Down syndrome).

They have served a total of over 100 families, with 279 parents/caregivers over the past year.

They conduct parent support group sharing sessions for the various groups. A total of 121 parents/caregivers participate in these sessions to enhance their knowledge and capability. The support group sessions provide a conducive platform for sharing and providing emotional and psycho-social support to parents/caregivers.

DADS SG (Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome –Singapore) is an acronym created by a group of fathers in US who shared a very unique common bond i.e. they are all dads of children with Down syndrome.  These sessions link up dads who share common concerns and hopes for their children. This network of dads provides opportunities to exchange experiences, support one another, as well as be an effective catalyst for advocating the causes of persons with Down syndrome.

MOMs Only is a unique group of mothers who have children with Down syndrome. The Moms get together on a regular basis to share and exchange best practices and information on bringing up a child with Down syndrome.

They have organized talks’ workshops such as the Kinder Art workshops, Kindermusik workshops, presentation on the Hanen Programme, a Dental talk, a Speech Therapy training session, and an Oral-muscle therapy presentation by Mr. Sara Rosenfeld-Johnson from Talk Tools International USA.  A total of 158 parents/caregivers participated in the said activities. These educational parent workshops hosted by various professionals’ aim to empower parents/caregivers with skills and knowledge to provide best in class care to their children.

Solutions to further increase DSA’s presence in the society:

DSA has already been very active in organizing activities to make sure down syndrome kids are not neglected in any way. Other than organizing activities, planning workshops and consultancy services.
Here are some solutions that might help to further increase their presence and raise awareness.

1. Newspaper Articles
Newspaper is a simple yet powerful media tool that is able to deliver messages direct and fast. In this society, more and more people are concerned about the current news and when they read the article it has not only gave them information but also at the same time, make them think about the people who are suffering from down syndrome.

2. Public Online Forum
To further increase the awareness there must first be active participants. With a public online forum, anybody can access to the forum to suggest an outing, exchange opinions, post comments..etc that are able to connect everybody together. DSA has planned events that are suitable for the family but with a public online forum, a poll can be created and they can vote for the best outing venue or activity. This way of organizing is much better because it is dependent on the majority.

3. Working with the neighborhood community
DSA can increase their presence by going into a smaller area,community clubs. Community clubs is the heart of all neighborhood and if pamphlets or articles are being given out or put up on the noticeboard, it can actually create more feedback. Community clubs can also organize an mini children party where all the children from the neighborhood are invited. This can not only let the children familiarize themselves, they can also make new friends and understand more about children in their neighborhood who are suffering from down syndrome.