{"id":31622,"date":"2021-03-22T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=31622"},"modified":"2021-03-22T12:19:54","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T17:19:54","slug":"celebrating-world-down-syndrome-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/tartan-news\/2021\/03\/22\/celebrating-world-down-syndrome-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

World Down Syndrome Day is on March 21. The Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association<\/a> (MVDSA) is a nonprofit organization that provides support, resources and awareness for local families who have members with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is a condition in which an individual\u2019s cells contain an additional 21st<\/sup> chromosome<\/a>. This extra chromosome may exist in only a portion of the person\u2019s cells or sometimes all of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe see them to be inclusive with us,\u201d said MVDSA Executive Director, Willie Cox. \u201cWe will say there are individuals with Down syndrome and then we might call\u2026[ourselves]\u2026 \u2018typical.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the National Down Syndrome Society, an average of one in every 700 Americans are born with Down syndrome.<\/a>\u00a0 As it is a genetic condition, there is not a cure.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere are some traits [that are]\u2026not universal, but they\u2019re common, which is [low] muscle tone, small stature, upward slant to the eyes\u2026and a single deep crease across the center of their palm,\u201d said MVDSA office administrator Chris Steiner. \u201cThere\u2019s no predisposition or\u2026[anything] that the biological parent did or did not do. This happens at conception.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who have Down syndrome may experience some physical challenges, which may be related to their condition but not on every occasion.  Around 52 percent of people with Down syndrome have a heart defect. They may have hospital stays that can be brief or last for longer periods of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey grow up and\u2026.develop,\u201d said Cox. \u201cThey enjoy and love many of the things that their typical peers enjoy doing. They go on with life. There\u2019s a pretty broad spectrum with those individuals with Down syndrome and some are what\u2019s considered very high functioning. They have different levels of functioning, but they love life like you and I do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some individuals are able to finish high school and go on to college. There are some who have even opened their own businesses. They spend time doing things that they enjoy and have personal preferences just like everyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey will be able to do the same things as their typical peers, but sometimes it might just take them a little bit longer,\u201d said Steiner.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MVDSA was started in 1977 by families who found support from each other and had the desire to advocate for Down syndrome within the area. The MVDSA currently covers eleven Ohio counties. The state has six Down syndrome associations in total and some may reach out to parts of Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MVDSA has various programs that serve<\/a> those with Down syndrome. With the pandemic, they have not been able to do all of their normal activities, but they have found ways to still connect over Zoom and online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe started what they call\u2026[\u2018The] Improvaneer Method\u2019<\/a> program,\u201d said Steiner. \u201cThey use improvisations\u2026 to learn different skills as far as life skills such as\u2026communication, understanding eye contact [and] just building the confidence that it might take or need to get a job or communicate with their peers\u2026or their parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cox added that the program also focuses on \u201cbody language and social cues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The areas that] they work on in that program\u2026[are] to wait and listen and make sure you\u2019re not talking over people,\u201d said Steiner. \u201cThey get excited like anyone else.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another program offered by the MVDSA is Down to Box<\/a>, which currently takes place in-person at the Title Boxing Club. It is for a wide range of ages as those currently enrolled range from 7-35. The sessions are 12-weeks long and last forty-five minutes to an hour.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis basically teaches coordination, growth motor skills\u2026communication and it provides a social component\u2026that everyone\u2019s been lacking the last year,\u201d said Steiner. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten really\u2026positive feedback. Everybody\u2019s been loving it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For World Down Syndrome Day, the MVDSA hosted activities online<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a pretty big deal,\u201d said Cox. \u201cWe are doing some celebration online – abilities for individuals with Down syndrome. We\u2019re going to be highlighting those.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 15, the MVDSA will host a walk called \u201cWalk Your Socks Off\u201d from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Sidney, Ohio. This year, \u201cWalk Your Socks Off\u201d will be a scavenger hunt to follow coronavirus restrictions. The cost will be $21 for each family who wishes to participate. The goal of the walk will be to raise funds and awareness for Down syndrome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MVDSA also usually has a fundraiser at the Day Air Ballpark<\/a> or the Dayton Dragons Stadium. There are hopes to hold this both in-person and virtually this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MVDSA hosted The Buddy Walk<\/a> in Dayton for about sixteen years. This event has taken place at Day Air Ballpark since around 2012. The organization has since called its walk a different name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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