Re: Nereida and Desi and anyone else

[Guest guest]

Very nice Sara...

I think Capone sums it up pretty well in his conclusion to a really good

article about dual dx on the site. Most of the stuff re: dual dx seems so old to

us and things seem to move so slowly as our kids are growing up....but sheesh!

remember what it was like 20 years ago?? HA! THere was nothing. Poor Glenn

Vatter was out there all alone when I first got online. And look at us now 1100

members??? Unfortunately I think it's gotta be a push from us parents...just

like in the Autism community if we want to see results. Wish I had time to be an

activist.

Sherry

Capone:

Conclusion

Clearly there is a great deal to be learned about children with Down syndrome

who are dually diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. In the meantime, it is

essential for parents to educate themselves and others about this condition.

Families must work on building a team of health-care professionals, therapists,

and educators who are interested in working with their child to promote the best

possible outcome. Research efforts must move beyond mere description to address

causation, early identification, and natural history. Specific markers in the

development of the brain which can distinguish DS-ASD from " typical " Down

syndrome and " typical " autism need to be sought; and the possible benefits of

various treatments need to be more carefully documented. Realizing these goals

will take a very long time to accomplish and must be approached with a spirit of

support, cooperation, and caring both for individual children and the larger

community of children with DS-ASD.