Ellen Hunter KidsAreAlright.org

Down Syndrome Diagnosis = My New “Family” KidsAreAlright.org When receiving a child’s prenatal Down Syndrome diagnosis, there can be a sense of soul-crushing hopelessness. Hopelessness for what their child’s life would be and what this diagnosis means to the parents’ previous self-definition of their “family.” The call, or email or text shifted EVERYTHING…. “But now, looking back on that moment four years later, I want to replace my anxiety, sorrow, and anger with different emotions…hopeful ones. There were things that I just didn’t know at the time, the depth of love I am capable of giving.” # Parents.com The stereotypical picture of a Down Syndrome child is a life with zero potential, a life spent trapped in a corner without truly living. This unfounded view does NOT have to exist. * We ALL achieve typical milestones; don’t compare. Instead list your child’s milestones and know they might take a little bit longer... BUT, when they ...

KidsAreAlrigh.org I worked for Brian McNally in the 80s, he probably doesn’t remember me but… as the saying goes… “If you remember, you weren’t there.” (Which, by the way, is an excellent motto for myself referring to ‘what I ate for breakfast,’ today.) After years on the Upper West Side and then the East Village, my husband and I were smart enough to move back downtown to Battery Park City to raise our kids —We now take them to Odeon for every day occasions as the Odeon has become a neighborhood “joint.” How incredibly awesome? Fast Forward: I’ve become a hard core advocate for special needs children and parents on the LES; in the New York City D75 school system. My oldest daughter and I just returned from Europe after a month long trip for her high school graduation gift in which the last leg of our trip was London. After a silly night at a ridiculous show on The West End, we literally stumbled upon Balthazar…in my opinion, the definitive Brian McNally restaurant. To ...

HEARING Your Non-Verbal Autistic Child KidsAreAlright.org Updated:  May 28 The documentary “Far From the Tree” follows the incredible journeys of families who have a special needs child and the major challenges they face. Even with these INCREDIBLE day-to-day obstacles, parents are able to discover - through the power of love and empathy, the ability to create meaningful and important lives for both themselves, the siblings and their special needs child. The documentary is based on Andrew Solomon’s New York Times bestselling non-fiction book of the same title including in-depth interviews from “Parents, Siblings and the Special Children in Search of Identity.“ One of the most moving stories is one very similar to Eleana (above), beginning life as a non-verbal autistic learner struggling to communicate with those in the world around her. “I AM HER KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR, I AM HER VOICE, HER STRENGTH... IF I DON’T FIGHT FOR HER, WHO WILL?” Tina Vell...

What Is “The Right Education” for Your Alright Child? KidsAreAlright.org Updated:  Jun 25 “The ‘Right Education’ is one in which a young person learns the skills to find meaningful employment in a field that both interests and excites them, while being able to support an independent life.” Ellen Hunter, Founder KidsAreAlrighat.org Today, more than one million students at the age of twenty-one are graduating from an educational system that was not built for them. A system designed to neither recognize potential nor expect an individual with ANY type of disability to achieve. Young adults with special needs are no different than their non-disabled peers. They have the same desire for learning and growth; the same goals and dreams that can be furthered and realized by the right education. We all enjoy the sense of accomplishment that learning brings. By simply changing the pace of instruction, the amount of review and reinforcement, the modality of support and...