Huntingtown, Maryland
Carlos and I found out about Matthew's diagnosis before he was born. We had an amnio, as with our first child, because of my "advanced" age. I was a little concerned when it took longer than with our first child to get the results, then, when the doctor called me, as opposed to one of the office help, which was the case with our first, I KNEW something was wrong. All I remember was the words "something wrong" and "Mosaic Down Syndrome (a "milder" form of Down Syndrome)."
It seemed to me like she was talking forever, and through my tears, I wasn't able to comprehend any of it (regardless of the fact I was a nurse). I called my husband at work (he's a Paramedic and had to be tracked down at one of the local hospitals). He describes hearing the news as "like a knife through my heart." My reaction was much the same. It just so happens that he was working with someone who had a friend whose child had Down Syndrome. After talking to each other, we placed the call. She was a Godsend...we talked for almost two hours and learned for the first time what "mosaic" down syndrome was. I remember at that point trying to find information...wanting to know what to expect...but finding the word "mosaic" only briefly mentioned in articles which were mostly about down syndrome.
Matt was born February 5, 1995. Although he was early (right at 37 weeks) he was healthy and beautiful. The Geneticist who evaluated him at birth said that she was unable to tell which of the 12 infants she was to evaluate. He had no physical features. Matt was followed until 15 months and met every milestone at or ahead of schedule. At age 3 we realized that his speech was not as it should be (he was only saying about 4-5 words) and got him back into the "Child Find" program. He was placed in the pre-school program and thanks to Christian Oliva, his teacher, was talking in 5-7 word sentences in a matter of 5 months!
Matt is now 6 years old. He is in speech therapy this year and progressing at a rapid pace. He is in special ed in the morning and a class for the "at risk" children in the afternoon. Matt is doing so well in the special ed class that we are meeting with his teacher this week to see about getting him into the regular Kindergarten class for part of the morning. Matt loves computers and has learned a great deal from them. He doesn't like the idea of his mom as a teacher. He loves school, plays well with others and loves doing his homework. He is an excellent student. He is expected to be in regular 1st grade next year.
This group has been such a blessing. It was created after Matt was born and we had wasted hours searching for information that wasn't there. It is nice to be able to find out how others have dealt with problems in raising a child with special needs and encouraging to discover that others have had the same problems we have. It is also nice to talk to parents of children (or even the children) who are older in order to have an idea what to expect.
Matt is truly a Gift of God. We love him dearly. Although he has a heart of gold, he is very strong willed. Even though this is hard on us, we feel it is a gift from God to Matt which will help him deal with life as he grows older. Matt is fortunate to have a big brother who loves to teach and is very patient with him. Every day we thank God for the special gift of Matt. He is definitely a "special" child.
Matt was born February 5, 1995. Although he was early (right at 37 weeks) he was healthy and beautiful. The Geneticist who evaluated him at birth said that she was unable to tell which of the 12 infants she was to evaluate. He had no physical features. Matt was followed until 15 months and met every milestone at or ahead of schedule. At age 3 we realized that his speech was not as it should be (he was only saying about 4-5 words) and got him back into the "Child Find" program. He was placed in the pre-school program and thanks to Christian Oliva, his teacher, was talking in 5-7 word sentences in a matter of 5 months!
Matt is now 6 years old. He is in speech therapy this year and progressing at a rapid pace. He is in special ed in the morning and a class for the "at risk" children in the afternoon. Matt is doing so well in the special ed class that we are meeting with his teacher this week to see about getting him into the regular Kindergarten class for part of the morning. Matt loves computers and has learned a great deal from them. He doesn't like the idea of his mom as a teacher. He loves school, plays well with others and loves doing his homework. He is an excellent student. He is expected to be in regular 1st grade next year.
This group has been such a blessing. It was created after Matt was born and we had wasted hours searching for information that wasn't there. It is nice to be able to find out how others have dealt with problems in raising a child with special needs and encouraging to discover that others have had the same problems we have. It is also nice to talk to parents of children (or even the children) who are older in order to have an idea what to expect.
Matt is truly a Gift of God. We love him dearly. Although he has a heart of gold, he is very strong willed. Even though this is hard on us, we feel it is a gift from God to Matt which will help him deal with life as he grows older. Matt is fortunate to have a big brother who loves to teach and is very patient with him. Every day we thank God for the special gift of Matt. He is definitely a "special" child.
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