Weekend reading and viewing: 22nd - 23rd June 2013

Advice about Down syndrome for fathers in honor of Father’s Day
Rob Arnold, Treyton's Posse, 12th June 2013
Having a child diagnosed with Down syndrome is not what you think it will be. If you are like most,you have had very limited experience with people who have Trisomy 21 or other cognitive disability. As a result you are forced to make mental references to either the TV show “Life Goes On” or to the show “Glee.” Maybe you also had an aunt that had a neighbor with Down syndrome or something as equally disconnected from your personal experience. Forget all of that. Do you want to know why I am telling you to forget the limited knowledge you have? It’s because none of those experiences were about you and your child.

14 mental health tips for children with learning disabilities
Emma Sterland, Friendship Circle, 18th June 2013
... Identifying mental health problems in someone with special needs, can be challenging, but the key is noticing any changes in your child’s usual pattern of behavior. It’s important to know what is usual for your child, and to be aware of any significant changes ...

3 best lessons from my 3 year old with Down syndrome
Maureen Wallace, allParenting.com, 17th June 2013
Imperfection is my new perfection, which it turns out, is just what I needed.

Australian parents-to-be buy into 'safer, accurate' Down syndrome test

Deborah Gough, Sydney Morning Herald, 18th June 2013

A new safe, more accurate method of detecting Down syndrome is being used in Australia, dramatically decreasing anxiety among expectant parents ... David Amor, a clinical geneticist at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, said the test had been available in Australia for about three months. Blood specimens are sent for testing to the United States at a cost of $850 to $1250, but Dr Amor expected the price to come down by the end of the year to about $650.

I’m Removing My Prenatal Testing Halo

Jisun, Kimchi Latkes, 19th June 2013
I have had my moments of self-righteous judgement. Shocking, I know. I’ve strapped on my righteous halo in secret, just for comfort ... I want to say some things to the mothers out there facing the difficult choices that line the road to motherhood. Yes, to mothers. In our still very patriarchal society, mothers bear an inordinate amount of shame and judgement for their reproductive choices. So yes, I am talking to you, sisters.

Roundtable on the mental health of people with intellectual disability
Background paper prepared by NSW Council for Intellectual Disability (NSW CID) and others, May 2013

NSW CID organised the roundtable in partnership with Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry UNSW, Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability and the Australian Association for Developmental Disability Medicine ... funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. ... Speakers included parents, advocates, leading doctors and disability professionals. The roundtable participants accepted the need for wide-ranging action to address the very poor mental health care currently received by people with intellectual disability. The roundtable communiqué will also be available online.

6 Secrets of Strong Special Needs Dads
Suzanne Perryman, Huffington Post (Parents), 16th June, 2013 (Fathers Day in the northern hemishpere)

I recently wrote about the secrets special needs moms won't tell you, but heard from many special needs fathers that they felt left out. My husband, Zoe's Dad was my inspiration to write about what I know about special needs dads.

Fresh ideas on disability and jobs
Craig Wallace Ramp Up 20 June 2013

The welcome introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme is shadowed by Australia's poor record on disability and jobs. People with Disability President Craig Wallace believes it's time we came up with new ideas to get more people with disabilities into meaningful work.

Pushing the limits
Sarah Barton, Right Now, 20th June 2013

... (We planned) to put people with disabilities on television talking about what matters most to them ... None of (the presenters) had ever been spoken to like that before. No one had ever expected them to get it right and they had never been judged by the same standards as everyone else ... There are still too many voices, viewpoints and ideas that are not being heard and do not have access to expression in our media.

People With Disability Australia: June 2013 E-Bulletin