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Forward

Over a year has come and gone since A Circle of Friends was first printed and still the learning process continues. The change in the title is but one small indication of the new direction that this book has taken. The contents has been expanded to, what we hope, will provide a greater arena of material needed by caregivers of those with Down syndrome.

We want to emphasize the importance of changing what continues to be an outdated and incorrect paradigm for Down syndrome. The vast majority of western society continues down an outdated path in terms of how we view Down syndrome, and we hope to change this. It cannot be stressed often enough that having Down syndrome does not mean "less," it means having "more." Down syndrome does not automatically mean "less" health, happiness or well-being. Down syndrome does mean "more" because these children are filled with joyous abilities that could be easily overlooked simply because we haven’t been taught to see them and chances are we were told not to look for them.

If you are familiar with the first edition of A Circle of Friends, you will notice many changes in this second edition. For convenience, when using the book as a reference tool, page numbers have been added. And, we have added much new material. The deciding process of what to include and what not to include was one of great debate! It has been suggested that the book should be in more than one volume, but we liked the idea of having a "one-stop-shopping" reference tool.

The overall theme of the book is one of hope, opening doors, a change in thinking, helping one another, and of course, the TNI protocol. In addition to that main theme, material has been added to give an overview of some of the most commonly used and needed therapies for those with Down syndrome, as well as material covering some of the more common medical issues concerning those with Down syndrome. At first glance, it may seem to the reader that including some of these topics would be in direct opposition to the main theme of the book and that some topics may even be somewhat alarming to see, but in reality, they can sometimes (not always) affect those with Down syndrome and we felt that it was better to educate rather than ignore. For some topics, material is provided by more than one author, expressing views and suggestions which might differ from other material found in the book. We have tried to provide as much information, discussion, explanation and view points as space would allow.

There is no "magic bullet" or cure for Down syndrome; there is no way to completely turn off that extra chromosome (yet). The best protocol takes into consideration many aspects. We want to emphasize the necessity of keeping an open mind in order to keep doors opening for our kids. The way to achieve this is through education. Never let the learning stop. Try not to put limits on your thinking or on your children. Try not to let others put limits or labels on our children.

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It should also be noted that, the following material is presented for its informational value. By having their material in this book, the authors are not implying endorsement of any information, therapies, protocols, and/or products other than their own.

We hope this book will prove to be a useful reference tool for you. We welcome all comments and suggestions.