Down Syndrome Ireland is celebrating World Down Syndrome Day by launching resources which challenge outdated ideas about Down syndrome and instead provide an insight into the realities of family life with a baby, child, teenager or adult with Down syndrome in Ireland today.
The charity launched a booklet “… more than medical” and a corresponding video called ‘Having a child with Down syndrome’ to support parents at an event recently in House Dublin, 27 Leeson Street Lower. Parents and their children as well as adults with Down syndrome from around the country who shared their story attended the event as part of the charity’s WDSD celebrations.
Mary Doherty, President of Down Syndrome Ireland, said: “As many parents of children with Down syndrome know, there is an abundance of medical information about the condition but not a lot which provides real insight into the realities of having a child with Down syndrome, and we wanted to change that.” “… more than medical” will be a resource for parents with a pre or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome for their baby. It will also be an essential tool for professionals and healthcare workers to ensure complete and balanced information is provided to all parents.
The charity joined forces with Rebekah Docherty and Michelle Clark from Lose the Label CIC – who are both parents of children with Down syndrome – to develop the booklet. ‘…more than medical’ includes a combination of experiences from the charity’s family and adult members from around the country. The booklet will be distributed free-of-charge to its nationwide network of 25 branches, to maternity and children’s hospitals across the country and HSE Early Intervention Teams.
The booklet and video will also be available to view and download on the Down Syndrome Ireland website, www.downsyndrome.ie.
“… more than medical” is about reality, and providing balanced, complete information for new families.
For further information on Down Syndrome Ireland visit www.downsyndrome.ie or visit https://downsyndrome.ie/category/news/world-down-syndrome-day/.
