This was originally published on March 6, 2013 It is an account of the time that I was pregnant with Moxie. Please be aware this post discusses violence, sexual abuse and abortion. You can listen to me read this post by clicking the player below, or on my podcast on Spotify or iTunes. I. The…
You want to know how to keep your bolting child safe? This post will cover low and high tech tools, simple ideas proven solutions for children who run off (“elope” or “bolt”)
I think the Universe knows us better than we know ourselves, and we are always invariably given the child that we most need
[vc_row color=”” message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”info” icon_type=”fontawesome” icon_fontawesome=”fas fa-info-circle” icon_monosocial=”vc-mono vc-mono-fivehundredpx” icon_openiconic=”” icon_typicons=”” icon_entypo=”” icon_linecons=”” icon_pixelicons=””][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round”]This is about “The Hiring Chain,” a new video on hiring people with Down syndrome by Coor Down[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] World Down Syndrome Day is March 21st This is because Down syndrome is 3 copies of the 21st chromosome (3/21!). On…
This addresses the question, “do people with Down syndrome feel pain differently?” and relates to pain tolerance of people with intellectual disability. If you want to hear this read, just click the link below. When my daughter Moxie was about two years old, she wandered over to where I was in the kitchen. The oven…
Learning to parent a child with a disability is a lot like learning to run – you learn to breathe, pace yourself, push on. And it’s not a race, it’s a relay
If you want to hear me reading this, just click the link below. I woke up the other night at 2 in the morning, that kind of “awake” that meant getting back to sleep would be pretty much impossible. My head was clear, thoughts racing, heart pounding. And it was all about my daughter, Moxie….
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round”]This is a post with resources to explain grief and loss to anyone with an intellectual or developmental disability, but focuses on explaining grief to people with Down syndrome. It’s available in distraction-free (- no ads) PDF for my patrons, linked here. It’s also at the end of this post for people who benefit from…
Summer Blog Hop Series: Disability and Special Needs posts
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”3d” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is a light, cute video post of Moxie having a conversation about her future.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Moxie’s got some plans, and she wants to talk about them. Mack’s also wondering about some of those… as you will see![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/6YtBK8zanNY” align=”center” title=”Moxie’s Getting Married!”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Eze is Moxie’s best friend – You know what I was saying…
A short film about a man with Down syndrome exploring Tokyo
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] CoorDown Onlus has released “Reasons to celebrate” video with the world today! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/kFioqxJgMXI” align=”center” title=”Reasons to Celebrate”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This video had me in tears because it nails exactly how I feel right now. I want to celebrate the fact that my daughter and her tribe are these really cool people who have gifts, skills, talents and…
This is a post about great children’s books about Down syndrome. The book headings are Amazon affiliate links, which means if you buy something that I link, you pay no more than you usually would but Jeff Bezos gets a little less. Children’s Books About Down Syndrome Stories are a wonderful way to explain Down…
Coming to terms with internalized ableism, as a parent with a disability, having a child with a disability
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I am not a newbie to the world of disability. I have disabilities myself. I have tons of friends with disabilities. I have worked in the disability arena. In fact, I was working at UC Berkeley – the home of the disability rights movement – when I had the amniocentesis that told me that my…
I think we should be talking more about sexuality and Down syndrome, talking more about sex and Down syndrome. First, I want to talk a little about two nuggets that I feel address this subject most wonderfully. Yo Tambien I watched the Spanish movie, “Me Too” (- Yo Tambien). recently (available on Netflix). It’s about…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I noticed a few things floating around Facebook recently about how a lot of people think that Down syndrome is such a tragedy, but it could be worse… they could be an asshole[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Some of the memes are a definite jab back at the person who was making some totally thoughtless comment like, “what could be…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] A Vlogger with Down Syndrome! Maria Jose Paiz Ariaz, a Panamanian vlogger with Down syndrome is shaking things up! Maria vlogs (- captures short videos as a blog) for the news site, La Prensa, covering everything from her views on adults with Down syndrome to Flor Mizrachi (who is Flor Mizrachi??). Here’s a teaser,…
This post is about things you can do to help raise awareness and acceptance for Down syndrome. This post targets Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Developmental Disability Awareness Month and World Down Syndrome Day. The ideas suggested in this post include both easier and harder ideas on how to focus your attention in the direction of…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Down syndrome t-shirts are wearable advocacy, and I’ve got a smattering of the best Down syndrome t-shirts for you! Donning garments with bold statements that testify to our beliefs (and allow others to question theirs) is an easy way to help promote acceptance. 100% of all profit go to support starting the Big Island Parent…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This post is about Down syndrome and breastfeeding. It is written from my perspective as a mother. I breastfed my daughter with Down syndrome for 2 years, and breastfed my two typically developing sons. While I am pro-breastfeeding, breastfeeding was not an easy experience for me, nor did it come easily. The purpose of this…
This post is about how to tell if your child with Down syndrome needs therapy. It is written from my perspective as a mother of a child with Down syndrome. That I am deaf and come from a disability-advocate standpoint, I am sure also affect the perspective from which I write. How to Tell if…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This post is about best Down syndrome book resources – from memoirs to resource books. It’s intended for parents and professionals working with people with Down syndrome. The ones that I most highly recommend I have put an * before. Remember: your local library should offer most of these books, and if they don’t, you…
A post for when you want to say the right thing because you are a disability ally.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Many years ago, I took care of an old man with Alzheimer’s. For over six months, I fed him, gave him his showers, dressed him, kept him company, wiped his butt, took him for walks. Fended his ‘crazy’ spurts – like when he tried to hit me all the way out of the house, then…
The ultimate guide to the best carriers for a baby with Down syndrome reviews and compares the most popular baby wearing carriers for infants with Down syndrome: the k’tan, ErgoBaby, Moby, Baby Bjorn, lillebaby and more
I’m noticing a silence after I tell people that Moxie has Down syndrome. Since I usually “tell” people by writing and the “silence” is them not writing back as they usually do, I could be wrong. Maybe they are just busy. But I think they don’t know what to say. I get it. I’d be…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1509370369735{background-color: #75cdde !important;}”]This post on the best stroller for a child with Down syndrome is NOT sponsored but there are affiliate links in it. I’m not writing this post as an ad; I’m writing it because I really do want newer parents to know this is the best rugged, long-term, high-weight-capacity stroller out there.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text] The…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”orange” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-book”]This post is a review of the book, Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome.[/vc_message][vc_column_text] Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome I’m going to cut the chase: I love this book. In fact, I think this is a “must-own” for the parent of a child…
Sara Weir is the President of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), which is the organization that spearheads and financially benefits from the Buddy Walks ®™ . NDSS claims to be the “leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome,” and yet in the face of the loss of Medicaid, they have been, for…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the more rampant stereotypes about people with Down syndrome is that they are always happy. Don’t ask why that sticks in the face of a screaming child with Down syndrome – even when someone actually sees my child in a rage, they have been known to comment (with a chuckle) about how “those”…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]My daughter, when I woke up on the morning of your birthday, you were awake already. You had slipped out of your bed and headed straight for the art supplies. After I kissed your sweet cheeks good morning (and gave you a hug), you said that the drawing was for me – “see?! MOMMY” Ah!…
I was like a snarling mama cat, clamouring for full inclusion until just recently. That is, for NOT having Moxie in a “special ed” classroom, in a classroom set aside in which all of the other children therein also have a cognitive disability. Moxie learns by imitation, I thought, what sense does it make to…
Resources for New Parents of a Child with Down syndrome Resources for new parents of a child with Down syndrome are crucial, as I discovered seven years ago while I was expecting my daughter, Moxie. Having had an amnio, I knew she was coming with Down syndrome. I suppose my background in disability should have made it easier,…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Down Syndrome Chromosome T-Shirt is back! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”HERE” color=”info” size=”sm” i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-star” add_icon=”true” link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.meriahnichols.com%2Fdownsyndromeshirt|title:HERE|target:%20_blank|”][vc_column_text]World Down Syndrome Day is coming up on March 21st – what better way to celebrate this day than to do so wearing the Down Syndrome Chromosome Shirt?! “What is the Down Syndrome Chromosome Shirt?” you might very well be…
Behavioral Issues and Down syndrome Moxie, my daughter who has Down syndrome, has recently had behavioral issues at school. A bit of background: Moxie goes to The Best School Ever. She has a wonderful, caring teacher and Moxie’s aide is a lovely woman whom Moxie has known and trusted for years now – ever since…
Moxie wanted the fishing game to work…
7 years ago I found out that I was carrying a child that was given a “zero chance” of survival on account of her diffuse fetal hydrops. We had an amniocentesis, and found out that she was coming with an extra chromosome, that she had Down syndrome. Honestly, this is all so ridiculous to me…
What sort of world do we want to live in and who do we want in it? A recent documentary about Down’s syndrome and the ethics of pregnancy screening, fronted by Sally Phillips, explores that question and more.
Down syndrome isn’t a big deal with us, overall. It’s a part of Moxie that we appreciate and love – except for one thing. One.
A Letter to My Daughter in which I hope that she will allow Down syndrome to define her, and be proud of all that she is
“How Do You See Me” that was recently released for World Down syndrome Day. It aims at promoting Down syndrome acceptance, but with so many in the disability community questioning the message, I don’t see it as an overall win. But they did get one thing right.
The movie, Song of the Sea, found it’s way to our Kindle Fire. Don’t ask me how; I have no idea – it’s not the type of movie that I am more prone to purchasing. It’s not rounded enough for my Pixar-iefied, Disney-bred taste. It’s an Irish movie, I believe, and while it’s for kids,…
There was a great post out last week by Carly about moms who blog about their kids with disabilities, or “special needs” as it’s popular to say here in the U.S. Her post was excellent – it’s here – I think you should take a minute to read it, if you haven’t already. I’ll wait….
I was listening to a story recently of a woman who became pregnant with her first child when she was just 16. My mouth sat open wide as she explained how hard she had to fight to keep her baby, being a “good Catholic girl” in the 1960s. It was the norm back then. Young…
My friend Jisun wrote a post on a new movie by Pixar called Inside Out. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but that doesn’t matter in this post at all. What does matter is what she is talking about in her post – did you read it? No? Here it is: Dear Pixar: Inside Out…
The hands of people can tell you many things. The hands of those with Down syndrome are no different. Beyond the insight provided from palm reading, noticing a person’s hands can tell you a bit of their story: dirt under the fingernails of someone who works in the garden; calloused palms of someone who pulls ropes…
About fear, accountability and love
This post is for the A Day in the Life with Down syndrome project. The short term goal of the project is to celebrate World Down syndrome Day (coming up on 3/21) through stories about a typical day in a life lived with Down syndrome. The long term goal of the project is to have…
In 2015, the annual day for “r-word awareness” is March 4. This day highlights the mission of many allies and advocates of people with developmental disabilities in “spreading the word to end the word.” And by that, it is meant to end the use of the word, “retard.” I hosted blog hops for two years in…