Early Steps of SWFL “Almond Eyes”

“Almond Eyes”

Springs at 407/939-1020. Remember to tell them that your are with the

Family Café to get the special rate. Even if you apply for financial

assistance, they still advise you to make a reservation as soon as

possible.

Completed forms can be sent to The Family Café by fax 850/224-4674, by

mail to 1332 N Duval St. , Tallahassee, Fl 32303. Online Registration will offi-

cially begin on February 14, 2011. At that time, you will be able to register on

www.familycafe.net If you don’t qualify for financial

assistance with Family Café , you can re-apply with us with the denial letter from the Family Café. For more infor-

mation , contact FRS Eliana Tardio (239) 919-4295 or email elianatardio@hpcswf.com

THE 13th ANNUAL FAMILY CAFÉ

For those who are new at this Community, the Family Café began in 1998 as an attempt to meet an urgent need among person with disabilities

and their families : the need for information .

To meet that need, The Family Café created an annual Family Café event

that would serve as a clearinghouse of information. The Annual Family Café would provide a unique environment,

where families could connect with peers, commercial service providers,

and public entities to find out what services were available to them, which

best met their needs, and how to go about securing those services. The guiding principle of the Family Café has always been the belief that well

informed people make the best

decisions for themselves and their loved one. The Annual Family Café

provides the opportunity to put that principle into action.

The 13th Annual Family Café is scheduled for June 3-5, 2011 at the

Disney Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center. There’s a full slate of events and activities, with dozen of breakout sessions, a full Exhibit Hall

and much more!

Limited Financial Assistance is available for individuals with

disabilities and their families, so make sure to note your request in the ap-propriate place on the registration

form if you wish to apply.

Rooms are available at the event hotel for the negotiated rate of $109 per

night. You can contact the Coronado

Special points of interest:

13TH FAMILY CAFÉ EVENT

RESOURCES

BABY SIGN REGISTRATION FOR CLASSES IN COLLIER AND LEE , is open!

Why “Almond Eyes”?

Sharing, educating and getting ready for the future! This is a place to share your story while educating others about the experience of being a parent of a child with Down syndrome. Your experience can make a big difference in

someone else life!

Inside this issue:

Non-Assistive Technology 2

Baby Sign for you child 3

New Baby Sign Classes 3

SSI How to apply? 4

children with Down Syndrome. There are many ways to participate, You can send us pictures, stories,

resources or information you would like to share with other parents in your area. We are also willing to

create parent support groups in every

Early Steps of SWFL is actually serving 45 children with Down

syndrome under 3 years old in the four counties. This is how we decided to

start this new and exciting project to provide specific resources and

information for parents and families of

county. It’s very important to grow together and become advocates

for the ones who are just beginning this experience!

Please contact me at anytime! I will be more than happy to help !

Feb/March/ April/May 2011

“Almond Eyes” A special publication for parents of children

with Down syndrome.

Early Steps of SWFL “Almond Eyes”

Although they have some delays, children with Down syndrome have a

very natural development.

I can tell this from my personal experi-ence raising two of them, my son who’s

6 and my daughter who’s turning 4 years old by the end of February.

The two of them were Early Walkers,

Emir started walking by 18 months and Ayelen by 14 months. Emir had a really

low tone when he was born and was able to hold his head by 8 months, but, after that, his development popped-up and the sitting, crawling and walking

came right after.

Ayelen was always very close to the regular charts of development and her tone was good since the first day I saw her looking at me with those beautiful

almond eyes.

How they did it? We spent few money with great results in the followings helpers that are con-

sidered non-assistive technology or just regular helpers for regular children.

Take a look!

To Start : Create your tummy time space by using Kids Floors, they pro-

tect your child and are also easy to clean and transport. From the begin-

ning, give your child the opportunity to be at the floor by using his tummy to

control his head and have the opportu-nity to explore and improve his or her

muscle tone.

When they have acquired Head Control, and they can hold their head while you

are pulling them up by their arms, is time to try the BUMBO SEAT. Start slow

and increase the periods of time responding to your child’s reaction.

Once your child enjoys been sitting in his bumbo chair, is time to incorporate the trail and introduce him to seat play

and finger grasp feeding by using cheerios or small pieces of soft fruit.

How to help him develop his oral muscles?

By letting him play using safe and stimu-lating products like a Fruit Munchkin and doing gums and teeth massages by using a tooth finger brush for babies.

Talk to your physical therapist about the possibility of using Hip Holders to keep the legs or your child closed if he has tendency

to keep them open. It will help him get balance and use the proper muscles for his

development.

And a very new and interesting help MOONWALK, that help them find balance when they are ready to give their first steps.

All these products have an affordable price and are available online.

Talk to your team and start implementing them in the daily

routines of your child and family.

Non– Assistive Technology that help natural development!

Page 2

Early Steps of SWFL “Almond Eyes”

Registration for BABY SIGN classes are OPEN

BABY SIGN “A good resource for children with Down syndrome” www.babysigns.com

Page 3

Using Baby Signs provides many benefits for children and their parents. Using the Baby Signs Program… Reduces tears, tantrums

and frustration Makes Learning to talk

easier Boosts self-esteem and

self-confidence Stimulates intellectual

development Strengthens intellectual

development Strengthens the

parent-child bond

By the time babies are 9 to 10 months old, they are quite capa-ble of knowing what it is they need or want. What they don’t

know is how to tell us with words-which leads directly to frustration to baby and parent alike. All this changes when a baby is able to use signs. With signs like “eat”, “drink”, “hot”

and “cold”, literally at their fingertips, babies can make

their known quickly and quietly without becoming frustrated and resorting to tantrums and tears. That’s how using Baby Sign can change the daily life

of you and your child.

Baby Signs makes learning to talk easier! Some parents may worry that encouraging their

child to use sing language might slow down learning to

talk. Baby signs helps babies to learn to talk . Babies gain a lot of language knowledge when

they are able to actively engage in communication with

signs-knowledge that lays a good foundation for learning to talk. And, just as a child who

learns to crawls is more, rather than less, motivated to learn to walk, so also a child who learns

to sign is more, rather than less, motivated to learn to talk!

Early Steps of SWFL “Almond Eyes”

If your child has Down syndrome, he meets automatically the definition of disabled for the Social Security Office. It means

your child can probably qualify for SSI (Social Security Income) , that are monthly payment to children younger than age 18, if his or her income resources fall within the eligibility limits. In Florida, Medicaid comes automatically with eligibility. Receiving at leas $1 of SSI is important in Florida, since receipt of any amount benefits triggers full eligibility for Florida Medi-

caid pursuant to Florida Statute, Section 409.903(2) and Section 1634 of the Federal Social Security Act.

Down Syndrome is one the medical conditions for which SSI start making payments right away and up for six months while the State agency decides if the child is disabled, so you don’t need to wait the three to five months that it usually takes for

them to determine the disability of the child.

If your income is too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private health insurance, call 1-877-543-7669 or visit:

www.insurekidsnow.gov

SSI (Social Security Income) How to apply, when to apply?

8961 Daniels Center Dr. Suite 401 Fort Myers, Fl 33912

Eliana Tardio Family Resource Specialist

(239) 433—6700 # 224 (239) 919-4295

elianatardio@hpcswf.com www.elianatardio.com

How to Apply?

You can start the process online by filling the medical report and downloading the Authorization Disclosures to be signed up by

your child’s pediatrician.

Visit http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10026.html

Or contact Eliana Tardio /FRS to request a printed version of the documents and the SSI booklet.

SSI Breakeven Chart

For more information contact SSA

1-800-772-1213