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NACD - The National Association for Child Development Newsletter
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| Volume 1, Issue 17 |
May 2009 |
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2009 NACD Rendezvous
June 25-29
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NACD ANNUAL RENDEZVOUS 2009
JUNE 25-29
OGDEN VALLEY, UTAH
The 2009 NACD Annual Rendezvous will be here before you know it!
Our annual Rendezvous provides an opportunity for our families and staff to get together, share stories and information, and to socialize with others who share similar experiences and the same hopes and dreams for their children. Our previous rendezvous were a great success, giving us a great time of growth, connection with other families, and invigoration. We are looking forward to another inspiring weekend this year!
Highlights for Rendezvous 2009
- Presentation by a representative from Sky Medical on the TAOS walker (Therapeutic Ambulatory Orthotic System).
- Meet Bobby Lyons. Hear this long-time NACD veteran and his mother talk about his journey with Down Syndrome. (Did we mention Bobby will be starting college in the fall?)
- Dr. Neil, our nutrition director, will present on health and nutrition.
- Sashka Neil will be discussing the benefits of yoga for kids. She has specialized training in using yoga for children with special needs.
- Hear Bob's latest thoughts on processing, intensity, and more!
- Bob will also lead discussion groups regarding the newest perspectives in Down Syndrome, as well as Autism and sensory issues.
Family Activities
- Hiking, boating, tubing, swimming
- Sunday night is the family barbeque at the beach. This is always the favorite of the Rendezvous! There will be food, music, boating, tubing, and swimming.
Welcome, Discussion Groups and Swimming all held at Moose HollowGroup Activities and Family BBQ held at various locations in the area
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NACD ANNUAL RENDEZVOUS 2009
SCHEDULE
Thursday, June 25
4:00 Check in
7:00 Group Activity/Welcome
Friday, June 26
8:00 Check in
9:00 Discussion Group - "Processing: The Latest and Greatest" with Bob Doman
10:15 Presentation - "The TAOS Walker" with representative from Sky Medical
11:00 Discussion Group - "Maximizing ALL of our Potentials"
1:30-4:00 Swimming, hiking, boating, and other family activities
3:00 Discussion Group-"Program Implementation" with Sara, Lyn, Ellen
7:00 Hay Ride
Saturday, June 27
9:00 Discussion Group - "Health and Nutrition" with Dr. Julian Neil
10:15 Discussion Group - NACD Kid, Bobby Lyons, with mom Nancy; followed by "Down Syndrome: New Perspectives" with Bob
1:30-4:00 Swimming, hiking, boating, and other family activities
7:00 Music in the Mountains at Wolf Creek
Sunday, June 28
9:00 Discussion Group - "Yoga for Kids" with Sashka Neil
10:15 Discussion Group - "Autism Spectrum and Sensory Issues" with Bob
1:30-4:00 Swimming, hiking, boating, and other family activities
4:00-7:00 Boating
6:00 Family BBQ, including music, tubing, boating, and swimming at the beach
Monday, June 29
9:00 Discussion Group - "Intensity-Behavioral and Physiological Factors" with Bob
Within minutes of Moose Hollow there is hiking, horseback riding, fishing, boating, beaches, and a gondola that can take you to a peak at almost 10,000 feet, which was the home of the down hill skiing for the 2002 Olympics www.snowbasin.com/summer/activities.html. The country is beautiful and offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.
Information on Ogden Valley and Activities in the Area
Information on Ogden Valley - destinationeden.com
General recreation links in Ogden Valley - destinationeden.com/recreation.html
Forest service for area - www.fs.fed.us/r4/wcnf/
Ogden Visitors bureau - www.ogdencvb.org/visitors_outdoor_kayak.asp
Kayaking - www.paddling.net/places/showReport.html?878
Tree House Museum - www.treehousemuseum.org
Lagoon Amusement Park - www.lagoonpark.com
Ogden Visitors Bureau - Attractions - www.ogdencvb.org/visitors_attractions_fam.asp
Ogden Visitors Bureau - Adventures - www.ogdencvb.org/visitors_attractions_adventure.asp
Ogden Visitors Bureau - History - www.ogdencvb.org/visitors_attractions_history.asp
Dinosaur Park - dinosaurpark.org
Ogden Nature Center - www.ogdennaturecenter.org
Carvers Petting Zoo - Just minutes from Moose Hollow (farm animals, feed them, touch them) 801-745-3018.
If you're planning on staying at Moose Hollow, make sure you get your reservation in before May 31. After May 31, the condo size that you want may not be available at those special rates.
To register for the Rendezvous, please contact Denise at 801-621-8606 or email: denise@nacd.org.
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NACD KIDS: Bobby Lyons
This Teen is College Bound
 It's that time of year when many high school seniors look forward to being accepted to the college of their choice. In the Lyons household, there is big reason to celebrate, as Bobby learned that he was accepted to a college in New York state, where he plans to major in Sociology.
Many would say that the parents never should have aspired so high for Bobby. His mother, Nancy, disagrees. "Don't put limitations on your child," she said. "Expect the same thing out of your [special needs] child as you do your other children." Very few children with Down Syndrome have reached this coveted goal of being accepted to a regular four year college program. When we asked Nancy how she believes she and Bobby achieved this goal, she felt that there were many factors.
Having worked with NACD for many years, Nancy looks back on early program activities such as structured play and receptive language flashcards as being significant pieces. She also talked about crawling in cross pattern and learning organized movement.
She recalls working with Bobby on expressive language, stressing the significant role of his sequential processing. "Digit spans were huge," she stated.
Bobby attended public school with his mother working with him on his NACD program after school, on weekends, and during the summers. One thing that she found extremely helpful was putting school information on audiotapes and having Bobby listen to them over and over again. She also worked with him on digit spans; and later he worked with Simply Smarter on his own. Over the last six months, Bobby has implemented his program independently, checking in with his evaluator to report how he is doing.
Bobby is a gracious and social teen. He has participated in many school activities, including drama and track. He has volunteered at a soup kitchen. Nancy stated that she always felt that he needed "better than average" manners. She stated that people think that if a child with Down Syndrome acts inappropriately that they "cant help it," and she did not want people to view her son in this way. She did not expect him to act like other kids his age; she expected more.
The Lyons family has two children on program and a third child who is evaluated periodically in order to stay on track. Their daughter will be attending the University of Pennsylvania.
Nancy and Bobby will be attending our NACD Rendezvous in June. We hope you get a chance to join us and to meet this exceptional family.
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TAOS WALKER
This year we have a representative of the TAOS Walker who will be demonstrating their walking system. The (TAOS) Therapeutic Ambulatory Orthotic System is the very first "walker" that we have seen and liked. The TAOS is unique in that the orthotic system actually provides the assistance needed for the child to move their legs correctly. In addition, the walker provides a hands-free system so that the child can develop the arm movement needed for motor integration and balance. A number of our families have expressed interest in this system, and we look forward to trying it out.
- Bob Doman
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UPCOMING EVALUATION DATES
May 2009Atlanta Los Angeles West Chester Dallas Ogden Ft. Lauderdale St. Louis June 2009Boise Chicago Dallas Ogden Orlando Seattle West Chester Los Angeles July 2009Phoenix Milwaukee Cincinnati Minneapolis Sacramento India Flint Sacramento Dallas Ogden West Chester
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CONTACT USNACD - The National Association for Child Development National Headquarters 549 25th Street Ogden, UT 84401 801.621.8606 info@nacd.orgwww.nacd.org
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NACD will be conducting evaluations in the following cities. 