nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Coping with the emotional strain of having a child with down syndrome

MPG260183

I have a 3 year old son with down syndrome. We only got the diagnosis when he was 10 months old.

I sometimes get frustrated with the problems associated with my sons disability, which mainly revolves around his lack of communication. For example you tell him off for being naughty and you are never that sure he understands what you are telling him.

I hate becoming frustrated I feel like I am failing as a parent to cope with the challenges. After all it isn't his fault at all.

Has anyone had therapy to help them to come to terms with this situation. Maybe you never fully aspect this but just learn to adapt to a different life than you had expected.

Do anyone have any advice.

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

budsue32

my daughter was diagnosed few days after birth she is 10 now makaton was and still is a great help with her being able to communicate and for her to get through to us she still does not talk much and i cannot always understand her now which gets us both frustrated

onyee

I have an adult son with ds who also has significant challenges in communication. I taught him Makaton also and it was a big help. I think re the discipline thing that with a child with a learning disability you really have to adjust your expectations about what is naughty and what is lack of understanding of consequences etc and it takes time to do that. I also foster children and again, the behaviour difficulties come from a very different place than those of more typically developing children raised in stable birth families and they need a different kind of parenting again. not sure if you have access to a local DS support group? if there is one near to you i'd recommend you visit, I found peer support very helpful when my son was younger.

re the therapy, I have had therapy for a different issue and it has been very helpful in enabling me to see more positive ways of managing stuff that gets thrown at me. I can thoroughly recommend it! if you have the financial resources it may be better to find a private therapist because you a) get the choice of therapist and therapy style you would prefer, and b) the therapy is not limited to 6-8 sessions as with nhs therapy. I found that I needed a lot longer than 8 weeks to build the relationship with teh therapist that is vital for therapy to be effective.

[Deleted User]

No formatter is installed for the format not-found

Sam_Alumni

Hi @MPG260183 How are you getting on? I thought you might be interested in our latest guest post from a mum whose little boy was diagnosed with Downs Syndrome at 6 months.