September / October 2005
Volume 23, Number 5

At Down Syndrome Aim High we share lots of stories, articles and support for an inclusive setting for our children, particularly in school.  While I sometimes think people interpret this as an “inclusion-only” message, I hope they realize that what we really strive for is to broaden the choices that are available so that we parents can select what is right for our own child.

    At the April conference earlier this year I met a woman who was engaged in a conversation about the merits of full inclusion vs. a self-contained classroom.  She has her daughter in a self-contained classroom because she feels that it is the best environment for her daughter to learn academics.  “But what,” she was asked, “about the benefits of being in a classroom with typical children – the interaction, the modeling, the exposure of the other children to children with special needs?”  Her answer was quite simple in that she provides those experiences for her daughter through recreation and outside activities.  Through activities such as scouting, organized sports, and other social activities, children can experience all those wonderful interactions separate from the academics of the classroom.

    And just like with education, there are also a variety of settings for our children’s experiences in recreation – regular programs, Challenger Leagues, and Special Olympics, for example.  This fall our daughter, Sarah, will be pretty loaded up with some new activities: she was recruited to join a youth soccer team by one of the coaches, she will be trying out dance, and, to follow in her big sister’s footsteps, she will be starting cheerleading.  But what she probably loves the most will be put on hold until the warm weather returns – swimming.  Whether it is in a lake, the ocean, or a pool, Sarah loves to be in the water.  It has been an incredible summer.  This year Sarah went from a bathing suit with sewn-in flotation devices to swimming in the deep end with a regular swimsuit all by herself.  It was pretty scary at times, as she swam away from the rope that divides the shallow end from the deep end, each time going a little farther before swimming back.  But now it is old hat…she is very confident and proud of her ability to swim.

    So no matter what your child’s classroom setting is like, recreation is a great way to provide additional interaction with other children, a sense of self-esteem, and there are lots of choices.