DSIG February RMM – Using the Treadmill to teach Children with Trisomy 21 how to Walk

Date: Thursday, 2/27/14

Time: Doors open at 7pm with presentation beginning at 7:30pm

Location: Hancock United Methodist Church, Springfield, PA

Child Care will be provided
Current research by Ulrich and colleagues has shown that treadmill training can help babies with Down syndrome learn to walk sooner and more efficiently. A subsequent study by Wu, Ulrich and colleagues demonstrated that treadmill training can also improve a child’s gait by manipulating the intensity of training. This workshop will discuss the recent treadmill training studies and how therapists and families can implement the research findings in their own homes.
The workshop presenter, Helen Milligan, MPT, is Aidan Milligan’s mother and a member of the Delco DSIG. She is a Physical Therapist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a therapist in Early Intervention. She has been utilizing treadmill training in her therapy practice and will share some practical advice that has been helpful in motivating children and families with this approach. Videos will be a part of the presentation.

Hope to see you on the 27th!

Even if you do not have a little person who can benefit from this information, we’d love to see you at the meeting to share your journey with those younger parents to show them that… it’s going to be OK!

DSIG March RMM – Post Secondary Education

Come hear DSIG families and young adults speak about their experiences with post secondary education.

Date: Thursday, 3/27/14
Time: Doors open at 7pm with presentation beginning at 7:30pm
Location: Hancock United Methodist Church, Springfield, PA
Child Care will be provided.

Hope to see you on the 27th!

Representatives from Delco Special Olympics will be presenting on their program and the Young Athletes Program.

Our September RMM will take place this upcoming Thursday, 9/25/14, at Hancock Church in Springfield (located on Route 320, just off the 420 intersection).  Doors will open at 7pm and the meeting will begin at 7:30pm.  As in past Septembers, this meeting will once again be an open forum meeting.  It’s a time to hear about the exciting events that we have planned this year for DSIG and a time to re-connect with families that you may not have gotten a chance to see over the summer.  If you have any questions or concerns about DSIG or have an idea for a speaker or topic for the upcoming year, we would love to hear your thoughts.

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DSIG 25th Annual “Walk for Our Kids”

WOW!  It’s hard to believe that we will be celebrating our 25th year of our annual walk-a-thon!  The date has been set for the 25th Annual DSIG “Walk for Our Kids”!  This event is our major fundraising event for the year and allows us to continue to provide outreach and social activities for our families.  It’s a FUN morning and a great time to meet other families.  We will need people in the group to make contact with any businesses that they know to see if they are willing to become one of our $500 sponsors for the event.  As a $500 sponsor, their company logo will be featured on the back of the event t-shirt.  We will also need items for baskets from businesses, baskets donated by businesses and DSIG families & friends, and raffle and silent auction items.  The letter for donations is ready now, so if you have a business contact and need a letter, please send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I will get one out to them.  Hoping to have the walk brochures out by the end of this week, so look for that in your mail!  This event takes a lot of planning and volunteers will be needed, so I’ll let you all know in the near future where help is needed.  Any questions about this event, just give me a shout!

When: Saturday, March 14, 2015, 8-10am
Where: Springfield Mall

Join us for a much needed welcome to spring event at Linvilla Orchards on Saturday, March 21st at 10:45am. The day will begin with a private hayride to Bunnyland, followed by an egg hunt in the field. Try to arrive as close to 10:45 am as possible, the wagon leaves for Bunnyland at 11:00 am sharp. If you are not in the area, you will miss the ride.  This event is completely outdoors so please dress appropriately. DSIG will not be offering food at this event, but families are encouraged to pack a lunch and eat together in the picnic area.
In an effort to build awareness, DSIG invites you to extend this invitation to your family and friends. The more the merrier! You are REQUIRED to RSVP for this free event. Please call Megan Califano at 484-472-8347 or e-mail her at [email protected]. Reservations will only be accepted up until Thursday, March 19th at noon. We’re sorry but we cannot accept any late registrations as we need to ensure there is enough eggs and candy for all children in attendance.  This rule will be STRICTLY enforced this year.

We are looking for a few (4 or 5) people to help us with this event, assist with minimal setup or cleanup, stay behind and “hide” the eggs while everyone is on the hayride, assist the kids with an craft project or two.  Please click here if you are interested in volunteering for this event.

March 21st also happens to be World Down Syndrome Day, so make sure you are rockin’ your crazy mismatched socks that day.  If someone asks you about your socks, you can then take that opportunity to tell them about someone that you love who has Down Syndrome!  If you are a member of the DSIG FB Page, we’d love to see pictures of you and your family rockin’ your socks!

Speaker TBD

Our guest speakers this month will be the Arcadia University Doctor of Physical Therapy students and they will be presenting recent literature and recommendations regarding exercise for adolescents,  teenagers and young adults with Down syndrome. Parents and families of all ages are welcome to attend, but the focus of the presentation will be on middle school age and above. This presentation will be similar to the presentation provided last year, but with additional research findings and resources.

When:  Thursday, 4/23/15
Time:  Doors open at 7pm, meeting begins at 7:30pm
Where:  Hancock Church, located in Springfield, PA on Route 320, just off the intersection of Route 420.

Please bring your teen, adolescent or young adult with you to this interactive meeting.

Hope to see you all on Thursday night!