I hate to compare children but I am new to this. Nisha has recently moved in with us and Iam wondering if she is further behind than other children and what things I should be working on with her. She just turned 7 3\20\06
She is still using pull ups she will not use the bathroom unless prompted to do so.
She only signs about 10 words.
She only speaks about 20 words.
She will repeat most words with prompts, most of them are hard to understand.
She has some aggresion issues.
She recognizes the colors blue red and green but cannot say them
She can sort shapes
She will repeat part of the alphabet but can not say it on her own

Are we on target, which area's would you work on first

All children are different, and all have their own speed of doing things. My son Noah will be 7 on May 16th and I'll sort of run through a list of where he is.

He is FINALLY potty trained, but I do put pull ups on him at night just in case, but he does wake up dry.

He knows probably 1/3 of the Alphabet that he can identify

He can write his name

He can read using sight words (the word is written and then a picture is beneath it or he has just memorized the words)

His talking has tripled since starting kindergarten, and I cannot even count how many words he can say, probably easier to count the words he can't say, and he is now finally talking in complete sentences.


Like I said all children are different. There are children in our Ds group that are younger than Noah, but far more advanced than he is, with reading, knowing their numbers and letters, being potty trained at an early age and so on. But there are also children that are 9 years old who say NOTHING, are still not potty trained, cannot read or write and don't know their ABC's or 123's. That doesn't mean they will never learn, just that they are at their own pace. I wouldn't worry, but try to encourage speaking and more signing. She'll come around.

I agree with Vonda that all kids with DS are different and will have their strengths and weaknesses. I would assume she is in school? What do her teachers and therapists think? Have you seen a copy of IEP and her goals? If you are concerned maybe you could call a meeting and discuss what you think she needs work on.One thing to remember also is she has just gone through a major upheaval in her life.She may be having issues with not being able to express her emotions. Even though you are wonderful loving parents it is a change for her and may take some time for her to be real comfortable with everything.It wouldn't hurt to talk the school psychologist for some advice.They deal with kids who are having transition issues all the time and may have some ideas.

Well, I would try to keep some things in mind, like the fact she is being placed for a reason. I'm assuming neglect could have some part of it in there somewhere.

Many kids with DS are not toilet trained until 6 or 7 years old. Get a feel for what you think she understands, and if you think it's behavioral relatated, try the "sink or swim" method of no diapers at all. Messy for you for a few days, but you could see some results.

The agression issues could come from anything or from nothing. Angela is 9 and has some significant agression issues, but not all the time, and it's largely unpredictable.

You need to work on ALL areas. They're all different types of things. Like everyone else said, all our kids are so different. Angela's motor skills are her worst area, where her cognitive skills are much better, with her speech somewhere in between. (but considering she has a hearing loss her speech is fantastic.)

Be a part of her school team and make sure you and staff are all on the same page. She'll come around in her time.

Thanks for all the advice Nisha was removed from biological family when she was 19 months old. She was in the same foster home since then. Our transition period has been months we moved slowly so that it would not be as stressful. She has had aggression issues since she was a todler. Our IEP is next week. So if there are any questions you feel I need to ask please let me know.

Again, I am hoping it is okay that I am posting here... I have experience with foster care and adoptions and was also adopted myself as a newborn. Please go online and read about reactive attachment disorder. I have a feeling that with all this little one has been through... DS may only be a part of her issues. Attachment is VERY important and it sounds like she may not have done that. So where there can be behavioral issues related to DS, there is a WHOLE other issue of this little girls past and attachment. I would be happy to help in ANY way as we have 2 children that are attachment affected, we have been to Attachment Center Northwest, and are currently doing attachment and behavior thearpy with our kids 24/7. God Bless and THANK YOU GOD that you have her NOW!!! Megan

Are you near Baltimore? Make an appointment to see Dr. George Capone at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. He can help determine if Nisha has PDD and help you determine what reas you should be concentrating on. Dr. Capone is an angel and we love him.

Well, from where I stand with Russell who is 8.. your daughter can do ALOT! I am not trying to compare.. just tell you that she sounds like she is developing in areas despite if she has had some rough times... that is GOOD! Russell can't do ANY of what you listed.. and I am not exagerating.. he does not do any of what you listed.... but Russell has other issues too... so from where I sit... it looks good! heehee

I know we read and see what others are doing and wonder if our child is on "target" somewhere. All kids w/DS are different but we still think there IS some target somewhere... just like some typical child and being on target..and I know it's hard sometimes to decipher between just a child who is who he/she is and a child who actually has something else going on that is hindering himself/herself.

A.