Top Ten Twitter Accounts!

This week’s Top 10 list consists of the top ten twitter accounts to follow that give up to date information, stories, and resources about Down syndrome. I definitely recommend giving these twitter accounts a look! Everyone has their own way of discerning what a good twitter account profile to follow is but my criteria consists of looking at: the amount of posts that the twitter account  posts and how often, the quality of the posts, the number of followers (showing how people are impressed by the account), and the amount of support the account gives to individuals with Down syndrome.

1. @GDSFoundation Global Down Syndrome https://twitter.com/GDSFoundation 

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 2,462;  Followers- 4.853; Following 340
My Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

This twitter account posts frequently and does a great job updating followers on recent events that support Down syndrome or cool updates about individuals with Down syndrome who are doing great things for the community. I especially like the content on this twitter account as they pay special attention to research, medical care, and advocacy for the community.

2. @DownDaily Down Syndrome Daily https://twitter.com/DownDaily

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 1,285; Followers- 2,423; Following- 1,204
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Not only does this account have a catchy title that I am sure many twitter followers were quickly drawn to, but the account posts great information and news daily about Down syndrome. They tweet information about politics, cools apps, and great stories that help people stay informed about all the talk around Down syndrome. I am so happy to see that at least one post happens per day if not more! Definitely suggest following this account, especially with the breadth of information that is available via the days tweets!

3. @TheUpSideOfDown Down Syndrome NSW https://twitter.com/TheUpSideOfDown

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 657; Followers- 2,462; Following- 137
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Down Syndrome NSW is a twitter account that seems to be operating from Sydney, Australia. I think it is very interesting to se the support from different parts of the world and I am glad that people from all over are accepting and supporting individuals with Down syndrome.  Although this twitter account does not tweet very often, I think it is still important to know that people from all over the world support Down syndrome. As I was looking for cool twitter accounts to follow I also saw support in Kenya and Nigeria!

4. @DSiupdate Down Syndrome Int. https://twitter.com/DSiupdate

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets-142; Followers- 2,567; Following- 44
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This twitter account is based out of the United Kingdom. Down Syndrome International is an international charity that promotes the quality of life for people with Down syndrome. The twitter owner of this account appears to tweet periodically, but more importantly they tweet about upcoming conferences and World Down Syndrome Day! I really enjoy when twitter accounts promote other twitter accounts, it shows a network of support, which is inspiring to twitter followers and anyone interested in learning about the community of support that surrounds the Down syndrome community.

5. @4luvofDS Loving Down Syndrome https://twitter.com/4luvofDS

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 658; Followers- 1,390; Following- 2
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This is a unique twitter account as it lets a mother show her frustration with the amount of negative posts that may be made by others about Down syndrome. This mom lets the twitter world know about the beautiful side of Down syndrome through her child’s experience. I think twitter accounts from parents or family members are especially special as they show the love that families give to their family members and they inspire others to take the same approach.

6. @NDSS NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society) https://twitter.com/NDSS

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 2,475; Followers- 5,838; Following- 1,009
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The amount of advocacy this site shows towards individuals with Down syndrome is amazing! Just today they retweeted a picture that was promoting World Down syndrome day from a school in Canada. I especially liked the way this National twitter account reaches out to specific individuals. Although you would think that because it is a National account it wouldn’t make those personal connections through twitter, the account does and it is refreshing! I can see that amount of support beaming through this twitter page and it is contagious.

7. @NDSC National DS Congress  https://twitter.com/NDSC

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 2,120l Followers- 3,208; Following- 655
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

This is a great twitter account to follow to understand the political situations that are occurring right now around the topic of Down syndrome. For me personally sometimes politics can be confusing and not easy to understand. I really like the way this twitter account sets up their posts that make it easy for you to feel involved. Another important aspect to note about this account is that the National Down Syndrome Congress is the oldest, largest advocacy and support group in the United States for people with Down syndrome and their families! This means that they have a ton of experience and can offer great thoughts for your daily reading about this topic.

8. @DownSyndromeTdy Down Syndrome Today https://twitter.com/DownSyndromeTdy

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 597; Followers- 481; Following- 343
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Although this twitter account does not seem to tweet as often, it appears to have great information posted. I also noticed how this account connects to many of the other accounts that I found while searching for Twitter accounts promoting for Down syndrome. It is great to see how different groups support one another on twitter! I also wanted to keep in mind that this twitter account is connected to a publication, so there may be a chance that the publication does not get out as often. This twitter account is great due to the strength of being research based.

9. @DSAInfo DSA (Down Syndrome Association) https://twitter.com/DSAInfo

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 14.6K; Followers- 6,799; Following- 860
My Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

I love the tagline of this twitter account: “Helping people with Downs syndrome to live full and rewarding lives”. This twitter account tweets all the time! It also has a great following and I think that may be due to the fact that is tweets out to many people personally. This twitter account does a nice job promoting great twitter etiquette, as it thanks followers for retweeting, and overall it sends a great message to it’s followers that everyone is important. I especially like the shout out to the parents of adults with Down syndrome. A lot of times this topic is overlooked, but this twitter account does a nice job addressing this population from time to time.

10. @NoahsDadDotCom Noah’s Dad https://twitter.com/NoahsDadDotCom

Quick Stats about this twitter account! Tweets- 15.9K; Followers- 11K; Following- 7,415
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This twitter account posts very frequently and gives an awesome representation of how much a parent loves his child, even with the obstacles that I am sure their family has had to face. The twitter account connects to the blog posts that Noah’s dad posts (look to the blog post Top Ten List posted a few weeks ago), which gives followers even more information on the life of Noah and Noah’s supportive family.  I just love how much passion and love is shown in this twitter account. Following Noah’s dad is sure to put a smile on your face when you are feeling down!

Kevin Grow makes it to the NBA!

Picture courtesy of Las Vegas Sun article

Today ESPN posted a cool story about a high school senior who has Down syndrome. Kevin Grow was the manager for his high school's basketball team for the past four years. Just recently his basketball team had their senior game where Kevin's coach decided to put him in for the final two minutes of the game. While he was in Kevin scored four 3-pointer shots. Kevin's four 3-pointers turned into a viral video that was a must watch on youtube having over 1 million views. The awesome part about this story is not only the fact that Kevin showed such awesome basketball skills, but also that Kevin now has had the opportunity to play with the Harlem Globetrotters and will play for the Philadelphia 76ers, as he signed a two-day contact just last week. It is truly amazing to see what can happen when someone who you may not expect to have such success is given a chance! Go Kevin!

Check out the youtube video!
And these two articles about Kevin>> ESPN Article & Las Vegas Sun 

Interesting Article...Thoughts?

This week I received an article from one of my friends who looks at my blog occasionally. The article titled, "New Drugs May Transform Down Syndrome" by Jenni Laidman discussed an interesting new discovery in which geneticist  Roger Reeves, from Johns Hopkins University, and his team gave mice with the Down syndrome a pharmaceutical drug to try and regain the size of a cerebellum to it's typical mass. The article explains that individuals with Down syndrome have a cerebellum that is about 40% smaller than the typical size. The cerebellum in the brain has major effects on a person's motor skills and balance. Roger Reeves and his team were hoping to try and regain size in the cerebellum to discover some major features of Down syndrome, but instead they came across an unexpected finding. Three months after the drug intervention, the mice with Down syndrome showed improved learning and memory functioning (shown by the mice's ability to navigate around a water maze). The team did not think that the drug would impact this functioning of the mice and were therefore surprised to come across such results. The researchers are not sure whether or not they may have accidentally repaired the hippocampus, which typically takes on the role of assisting in memory and learning and may have caused the increased memory and learning, but they do know that in previous studies a different chemical pathway in the hippocampus is typically explored. The clinical implications for this study, if the pharmaceutical drug has an effect on cerebellum in such a way, is that individuals with Down syndrome in the future could be prescribed with this medication to help in leading more independent lives due to the effects the medication would have on their brain functioning.

This article is extremely interesting because I had no idea that this kind of research was being done on this population. It really shows how far we have come over the years especially in the field of genetics. I am not sure how comfortable I personally would be in giving my child the medication, but I guess just like any other prescription medication it would have to go through a lot of testing to make sure it is safe for a multitude of people to consume. The general concept behind the pharmaceutical drug is very interesting and I do hope that more research is done on this topic to give people more information.

Check out the article HERE!

Top Ten Blog List!

The below Top Ten List is on blogs. All the blogs listed below are about people’s experience with Down syndrome. Family, friends, and or individuals with Down syndrome have taken some part in the process of putting together these beautiful memoirs, resources, and helpful information! The stars that I have indicated for each blog are just a personal preference, so definitely check them out to form your opinions!

1. The Road We’ve Shared. This is both a podcast and the host site of three blogs! Just recently the three moms that share this blog site have added a section that is labeled as a “Radio Shows”. This blog/podcast is unique because it is from the perspective of parents of adults with Down syndrome. This is a great topic to address as I am sure many wonder what it’s like to have a child grow up and mature into adulthood! The moms seem energetic and very willing to share their experiences.

http://roadwevesharedgzp.weebly.com/radio-shows.html

*****

2. Big Blueberry Eyes. This blog took part in an interesting blog challenge that inspired other bloggers that support Down syndrome to continue spreading the news, resources, and stories. The challenge is called 31 for 21! In the month of October (National Down Syndrome Awareness Month) this blogger encouraged other blogger to and blog every day! It’s slogan: “31 for 21 Raising Awareness One Blog at a Time”.  31 stands for the number of days in October and 21 stands for the chromosome that is duplicated to cause Down syndrome. 

http://mdbeau.blogspot.com/2013/09/7th-annual-31-for-21-blog-challenge.html

*****

3. Enjoying the Small Things. This blog that started back in 2007 is a wonderful, honest blog that shows the true emotion of a mother experiencing the unexpected birth of her second daughter with Down syndrome. The blog does a nice job showing how important it is for new readers to know the emotional roller coaster of this woman’s birth. There is a special tab on the blog labeled “Start Here If You’re New” that tells the birth story of their daughter Nella (and boy is it a tear jerker!) I really appreciate the honesty in this blog and it gives great insight into the many emotions that are experienced within the first few moments of finding out about your child’s diagnosis.

http://www.kellehampton.com/p/nellas-birth-story.html

*****

4. Lila’s miracle Life. This blog is a creative blog a bit different than the other blogs that I have found. The main blog portion of the website uses photos and poetry to explain the family’s thoughts and feelings. I find this to be extremely beautiful and unique. Different families are going to express their thoughts in various ways. The poems are beautiful and the pictures are worth more than 1000 words!

http://lilasmiraclelife.blogspot.com/

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5. Simeon’s Trail. This is an inspirational blog that tells the story of a family with seven children, the second to youngest one having Down syndrome. Not only does this blog do a beautiful job discussing the life of this big family, but it even introduces a new family member! The family is in the process of adopting another child with Down syndrome from Serbia. This unique blog gives an interesting perspective about being an adoptive mom.

http://simeonstrail.blogspot.com/

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6.  Noah’s Dad. This is a great blog website because not only does the host of the site share his information, but he gives the opportunity for other families and friends to post their blog information on his site. In addition to seeing the multitude of stories from many different bloggers Noah’s blog has additional sections where you can access resources, information about parenting, therapy information, and much more! The website is simply an awesome way to communicate and join a network of family, friends, and advocates of individuals with Down syndrome. Noah’s Dad has 82,300 fans on Facebook, 10,900 followers on Twitter and 3,100 followers on Instagram!

http://noahsdad.com/

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7. Group Hug Apparel. Although this blog does not seem to be updated regularly, the interesting aspect to it is the apparel store that 22-year old Andrew Banar has established. Andrew was born with Down syndrome, but does not let that stop him from doing amazing events for the community and putting together a clothing line called Group Hug Apparel. The clothing line features designs that inspire others to “Be strong and rock on”. Andrew’s determination and aspirations to be successful are clearly depicted through this blog and it is an inspiration to all.

http://grouphugapparel.com/

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8. Keeping Up With Down Syndrome New South Wales. This blog is a great site because it not only tells great stories about individuals with Down syndrome, but it gives job opportunities as well. The most recent blog post was talking about a theater that was looking for two actors! What a great opportunity and awesome post for potential actors or actresses to see! I especially enjoyed the “2014 Events” tab that already has so many things listed for this year! One fact for everyone to know is World Down syndrome Day is March 21! 
http://keepingupwithds.blogspot.com.au/p/advance-notice-having-say-conference.html

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9. A Perfect Lily. This amazing, colorful and vibrant blog is a wonderful blog that posts every day! How this mom has time to post and take care of her beautiful children is truly dedication and from her blog post on February 11- a sign of grace and balance! The beautiful pictures, pieces of advice and real life examples make this blog relatable and comforting.
http://babynumber10.blogspot.com/

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10. Down Syndrome Blogs. This website is a host site that contains many different blogs.           One of the features I especially like is “Blogs by Category” tab. The tab lets you pick a specific topic       connected to a clog about Down syndrome that you may be more interested learning more about.
http://www.downsyndromeblogs.org/

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Down Syndrome Association of Tallahassee

This week I thought it would be a good idea to post a local resource. The Down Syndrome Association of Tallahassee is a locally run group that was started in 2004 by parents of children with Down syndrome. The organization's mission statement is: "The mission of DSAT is to provide education, support, and resources to individuals with Down syndrome, their families, professionals, and the community while building public awareness and acceptance of the abilities of individuals with Down syndrome." This organization provides special services that I thought went above and beyond! They provide packets to families who have just found out their child has Down syndrome and also connect those families to other families that are close to them in location. Throughout the year they hold different gatherings for the parents to discuss stories and share resources. The Association hosts an annual Down syndrome Buddy Walk. In addition, they have many fundraisers to raise money to donate to families in need and to give to community organizations that provide resources for individuals with Down syndrome. The website they have is very helpful and has a lot of great information. My favorite section on the website is the "Lending Library", which contains a list of books that people can request to borrow from the Association's own library. You click the "request to borrow link" and then it brings you to an email page to get in contact with the Association. Very creative and a great way to spread information!


Check out their website! http://www.dsatallahassee.org/home.aspx

Video from Downs Designs! Special clothes for special people

After looking through the Downs Designs website, I thought I would post this video about the clothing line. Karen Bowersox is definitely a great grandma!

Also check out Downs Designs Facebook page>>https://www.facebook.com/downsdesigns

Awesome quote I found tonight! Love it and sooo true!

Downs Designs: Creative, Comfy & Cute!

Just this past week I saw a post on Facebook featuring Parents.com that was titled, "Clothes for People with Down syndrome, Designed by a Granny". The company, Downs Designs, is too adorable and awesome not to post about! Karen Bowersox, the grandmother of Maggie (her granddaughter who has Down syndrome), has put together a creative new line of clothing that meets the needs of individuals with Down syndrome and other children with special needs. Designing clothes that fit more appropriately as well as keeping in mind the aspects of clothing that children with Down syndrome specifically dislike, such as the elastic in pants and the tags in clothing, this clothing line is really unique and helpful for individuals with Down syndrome. One aspect of the article I specifically liked was how it focused on the boost of confidence and independence that these children will get from wearing this clothing line due to the fact that they will feel more comfortable in what they are wearing and will be able to put on their clothes by themselves.

I was also impressed by the person-first language that the article used as well as the respectful manner in which they discussed how the clothing line would be beneficial. The article was very positive and the clothing line is looking out for the best interest of individuals with Down syndrome. This is a great resource for parents of children with Down syndrome and for adolescents or adults that find it hard to find clothing that fits their stature.

Take a look at the article by clicking here: "Clothes for People with Down syndrome, Designed by a Granny"
Also the Downs Designs wesbite: http://downsdesigns.com/