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What: D.R.E.A.M. (Down syndrome research, education, advocacy in Montana) was started as a local support group for families of children with Down syndrome. The goal of D.R.E.A.M. is to provide financial grants to families in need of medical, educational and therapeutic assistance. It also helps to provide and distribute "New Parent Packets" to families with infants diagnosed with Down syndrome. The Bozeman Buddy Walk is the primary fundraiser for D.R.E.A.M. and a portion of the money raised will also go to the National Down Syndrome Society. The Buddy Walk® was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. When: September 24, 2011 Registration begins at 10 AM.. The walk begins at 11 AM and will be followed by a complimentary lunch donated by many local businesses.  Contact: For more information, contact Ryan Robinson at dreambuddywalk@gmail.com

Jessica Green dares to dream.

Sharing her dreams and hopes for herself and others with Down syndrome in a recent speech helped Green win a seat on the board of directors of the National Down Syndrome Congress. triggerAd(1,PaginationPage,11); In her "Dare to Dream" speech, given at a congress event in Sacramento, Calif., the 26-year-old Indianapolis woman talked about her abilities and how people with Down syndrome should "stand up for themselves."

Sharing her dreams and hopes for herself and others with Down syndrome in a recent speech helped Green win a seat on the board of directors of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

March 21st marks World Down Syndrome Day on the Special Needs Calendar. World Down Syndrome Day is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. The day is is focused on raising awareness for individuals with Down Syndrome. In preperation for World Down Syndrome Awareness Day we gathered together 42 Down Syndrome resources.

This past Wednesday, March 21 was World Down Syndrome Day. Down syndrome organizations throughout the world organized and participated in events to raise public awareness of Down syndrome.

Down syndrome, more commonly known as "trisomy 21" is very often accompanied by pathologies found in the general population: Alzheimer's disease, leukemia, or cardiac deficiency. In a study conducted by Professor Stylianos Antonarakis' group from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), researchers have identified the genomic variations associated with trisomy 21, determining the risk of congenital heart disease in people with Down syndrome. The targeted and specific study of chromosome 21 revealed two genomic variations, which, in combination, are the hallmark of hereditary cardiac deficiency. These results are being published in the journal Genome Research and add to other research conducted by the same team about chronic myeloid leukemia, a severe form of leukemia that often affects people with Down syndrome. The journal Blood is publishing these advances in the understanding of a disease which, like hereditary cardiac deficiencies or early Alzheimer's, affects the general population.

Down Syndrome International (DSI) has officially earmarked 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD). The date was chosen to signify the uniqueness of Down syndrome in the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome and is used synonymously with Down syndrome. Commemoration of World Down Syndrome Day started on 21 March 2006, it has " grown " manifold globally.

On Saturday September 11 the local non-profit group D.R.E.A.M. (Down syndrome research, education and advocacy in Montana) will hold its 1st annual Buddy Walk in Bozeman. The walk is a 1-mile loop around the Gallatin Regional  Park which is located off of Oak Street and right down the street from the Dinosaur Playground. The event is the main fundraiser for D.R.E.A.M. and a portion of the funds raised goes to the National Down syndrome Society.

We are a diverse group of parents in the Gallatin Valley and surrounding areas with young children with Down syndrome. Initially, we connected to celebrate the joys and concerns that come with having a child with Down syndrome. Since then we have all realized the importance of having a network of friends and resources and wanted to reach out to others who may be in our same situation. We like to meet once a month to get our kids together to play and to visit with each other about Down syndrome specific topics.

The local nonprofit D.R.E.A.M. (Down syndrome Research, Education and Advocacy in Montana) is pleased to announce the start of a new grant program to help people with Down syndrome and their families. D.R.E.A.M. was the vision of a few parents with children diagnosed with Down syndrome recognizing the need for a local support system. The success of the 1st annual Bozeman Buddy Walk held in September allowed D.R.E.A.M. to grow from a group that organized monthly support meetings into a nonprofit charity. Thanks to the wonderful community support at the Buddy Walk we are offering grants to families and individuals struggling with medical, therapy and equipment expenses associated with Down syndrome. Grant money will be available three times per year with deadlines for applications due January 5, May 5 and November 5. For more information and to apply for funding please visit the D.R.E.A.M. website at www.dream-mt.org or contact Julie Kleine at jkleine200@yahoo.com or 599-2556.

Full brochure and registration information (PDF) Please join us to help support the first annual Billings Buddy Walk.  The Buddy Walk (www.buddywalk.org) was established by the National Down Syndrome Society to help celebrate Down syndrome Awareness Month in October and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.   We have teamed up with YESKIDS (www.yeskids-mt.com), a local organization who's mission is to raise awareness and support for families that have loved ones with Down Syndrome and other genetic disorders here in Yellowstone county and Eastern Montana.   The Billings Buddy Walk will be at Dehler Park on Saturday October 2nd. Registration begins at 10AM and the WALK starts at 11AM.  There will be food and fun activities for the kids and adults. Our goal is to walk one mile together to raise awareness and meet others who's lives have been changed by someone "Xtra Special".   The cost to register is $10 per person and includes a Buddy Walk T-shirt. There is no cost for "Xtra Special" individuals to register and they will receive a free T-shirt. Please register by September 5th in order to get your t-shirt ordered. Registrations received after September 5th may not receive a T-shirt.      

You might be surprised to learn there's been an increase in the number of children born with Down syndrome in recent years. The conventional wisdom holds that with more prenatal screening, the rate at which children would be born with Down syndrome would have fallen.

"I was so naive, with no experience with anyone with Down syndrome," she said. "I got a huge education about that later."

Click here to download the registration form for this event (PDF) What: Recent studies indicate that the rate of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children with Down syndrome (DS) is higher than previously reported. Early detection of ASD is critical because early intervention has been associated with more favorable child outcomes and therefore, the presence of ASD in a child with DS has implications for treatment and special education decisions. However, identifying ASD in children with DS is difficult because of overlapping symptoms, the presence of cognitive and language delays and deficits, and other developmental factors. Moreover, little is known about what autism assessment measures are valid for use with children with DS. This talk reviews the various issues surrounding the accurate identification of ASD in children with DD and presents a set of considerations to assist evaluators in selecting appropriate screening and diagnostic assessment protocols. When: May 18, 2011 1:00-2:30pm Mountain

Each year the Annie E. Casey Foundation funds a national survey of child well-being. The new report was recently released. Montana is again ranked 28th, same as last year.The data is analyzed in four different categories: education, economic well-being, family and community and health.Montana was above average in three of the four categories, but finished 50th in child health.The report shows that Montana improved in economic well-being, up to 15th from 20th last year. We held steady on education at 13th. We declined a bit on family and community, down to 14th from 13th.But it’s the child health numbers that seem to be the greatest cause for concern.If you dig into the health numbers, Montana did improve over last year’s report in having fewer uninsured kids — down to 12 percent — and fewer teens abusing alcohol and drugs — down to 10 percent. However, we have increased our percentage of children with low birth weights — 7.5 percent — and increased the number of child and teen deaths per 100,000 — 45.How do we make sense of this data? It’s hard because for many of us these kinds of statistics don’t mean a lot when you pull them apart. As a state, Montana’s 28th place ranking is the lowest in the region. North Dakota ranks sixth, Wyoming ranks 15th, South Dakota ranks 18th, and Idaho ranks 20th.What the report tells us about child health is we have more work to do. It may seem like 88 percent of children being covered by health insurance is pretty good, but we’re average for the region. Similar to Idaho and Wyoming, but lower than both Dakotas.For teen death rates, we’re highest in the region at 45 per 100,000. Idaho is at 28, Wyoming at 32, North Dakota at 34 and South Dakota 39.In general what this means is in Montana we can do a better job, in this areas, of improving the health of our kids. The good news is that health continues to be a priority of the Gov. Steve Bullock’s administration, which launched an initiative last week called “A Healthier Montana: A Plan to Improve the Health of Montanans.”Bullock’s plan focuses on six areas: Preventing, identifying and managing chronic diseases; promoting the health of mothers, infants and children; preventing, identifying and controlling communicable disease, preventing injuries and reducing exposure to environmental health hazards; improving mental health and reducing substance abuse; and, strengthening Montana’s public health and health care system.Reports like Kids Count, are one of many analyzing different aspects of health in Montana and around the country, said Jon Ebelt, spokesman for the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. Typically, those reports only tell part of the story. And though the state takes the Kids Count report seriously, it fit into the broader look of health in Montana now outlined in Bullock’s initiative.“We’ve done a lot of work the last year to set the priorities on where we can make the most difference,” Ebelt said.At Lewis and Clark County, county health officer Melanie Reynolds is also focused on local work.The county has been working for a number of months on their community health improvement plan and is looking to unveil soon.So while the news from Kids Count was mixed, we’re pleased the state and local governments are continuing their efforts to support better health for Montanans. We anticipate these efforts will show themselves with an improved report next year.

A heartwarming message from 15 people with Down syndrome to a future mom.

ASHLAND — About 20 students demonstrated Thursday at Southern Oregon University to protest an administrative decision to withdraw a student with Down syndrome.Eliza Schaaf, 20, a graduate of Ashland High School, was auditing a ceramics class as a way to share the college experience with her friends from high school, her parents said.

She already had completed two-thirds of the class when she received a letter Nov. 8 notifying her she would be withdrawn because she was not qualified to meet academic standards, even with accommodations, and disrupted instruction in the class. The letter also said the family would be given a full refund of tuition and fees.

Members of Schaaf's class and the university's Student Senate have formally opposed the administration's decision through petitions and a resolution.

Alexandra Codina's Monica & David (pictured) is the documentary account of a young couple with Down syndrome--their romance, their marriage, their first year together. At first blush, it sounds like the worst kind of crass exploitation (a kind of nonfiction version of The Other Sister, perhaps). But it adopts exactly the right voice and perspective--one that carefully avoids cutesiness or sympathy, but sees these two (and the people around them) exactly as they are.

Palin appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show Monday to promote her book “Going Rogue.” She spoke about her run for the vice presidency, her daughter’s pregnancy and learning that her son would have Down syndrome.

The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) of 2011 (S. 1872/H.R. 3423) was introduced on November 15 in the 112th Congress (2011-2012 Congressional cycle). The bill is being led by a bipartisan, bicameral set of Congressional champions, including Senator Robert Casey, Jr., (D-PA), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Congressman Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). The ABLE Act will give individuals with disabilities and their families the ability to save for their child's future just like every other American family, and help people with disabilities live full, productive lives in their communities without losing benefits provided through private insurances, the Medicaid program, the supplemental security income program, the beneficiary’s employment, and other sources. The account could fund a variety of essential expenses for individuals, including medical and dental care, education, community based supports, employment training, assistive technology, housing, and transportation.