Down Right Awesome » Down Syndrome Radio

Dr. Tolbert, President of the NDSC Executive Council was kind enough to spend an hour with us discussing the upcoming convention in Orlando.  It was enough to get us all really excited! First, some background on Marilyn.  She is one … Continue reading →

The Down Right Awesome Dads give an end of year update.  Happy Holidays!  Happy New Year! Download Down Syndrome Radio, Episode #34.  

There is a new book out that we think you should read.  It is called Black Day: The Monster Rock Band.  Not only does it have a great storyline and really cool art, but there is a cool song too.  … Continue reading →

We had a super special guest on the show for this episode – Princess Kayla herself!  Fresh from her appearance on the Today Show, Kayla tells us all about it! Some other recent highlights: Kayla travels to the White House … Continue reading →

We spent a wonderful hour with Ricki Sabia, Senior Policy Advisor of NDSC, and got to hear about the following great topics relating to education: Universal Design for Learning – a set of principles for curriculum development that give all … Continue reading →

For those of you who have been living under a rock, there has been some REALLY exciting progress over the last few years in the area of DS research.  Who better to tell us about it than the Chief Scientific … Continue reading →

Believe it or not, we actually felt qualified to take this one on ourselves!  Between us we have SIX children successfully trained! First things first – We know how lucky we are that our three children with Down syndrome took … Continue reading →

This was a great episode.  We were very honored to have Sara join us on the program! Sara told us how she got interested in speech therapy and her decades of experience.  We learned about how she discovered that traditional … Continue reading →

Michael Remus is an expert on inclusion.  He is a parent of two children with special needs.  He has been a teacher and has written several books.  But most importantly (to me anyway), he took an entire school district into … Continue reading →

Just a catchup episode here to keep you up to date. First we did a quick wrap up on World Down Syndrome Day (March 21).  Then we jumped into the newest and coolest Ds Organization – the 321Foundation.  This new … Continue reading →

The new DS Registry will provide huge opportunities to improve the lives of our children! We had the opportunity to speak with Lisa Kaeser about DS Connect which launched in September.  Just listen to the list of potential benefits that … Continue reading →

We had the opportunity to speak with Lito Ramirez, founder of Down Syndrome Achieves.  DSA's mission includes Research and Funding, Political Advocacy and Education.  They have a new initiative called ONE21.  ONE21 seeks to fund the development of a dedicated … Continue reading →

Dr. Vellody is the Medical Director of the Down Syndrome Center at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. This guy REALLY understands the medical issues faced by our children! Because the center that he directs is specialized, he sees an incredible … Continue reading →

Rachel takes us back in time, telling us the story of her first child Leah and handling her deafness from diagnosis to the development of Signing Time.  Like our children with Down Syndrome, Rachel found that Leah was considered ‘different' … Continue reading →

The NDSC Convention last month was fantastic!  And who would know more about it than Mac Macsovits of the Rocky Mountain DSA?  It turns out Rick and his family were also there.  The convention was very well attended with excellent … Continue reading →

In this episode Jason, Mark and Rick each give an update on their child and the current challenges they are facing for their age category. Jason’s Dexter is two years old and is now walking.  What a big milestone walking … Continue reading →

We got the band back together for a quick roundup of events happening in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day on 3/21.  Much like the podcast, this write up is going to be short and sweet. To celebrate, you can: … Continue reading →

Due to an unfortunate hacking event, the original write-up for this podcast was lost.  Thankfully, we still have a copy of the audio.  And this awesome picture.  Enjoy! Download Down Syndrome Radio, Episode #18. Better yet…subscribe, rate us and leave a … Continue reading →

Due to an unfortunate hacking event, the original write-up for this podcast was lost.  Thankfully, we still have a copy of the audio.  And this awesome picture.  Enjoy! Download Down Syndrome Radio, Episode #17. Better yet…subscribe, rate us and leave a … Continue reading →

Due to an unfortunate hacking event, the original write-up for this podcast was lost.  Thankfully, we still have a copy of the audio.  And this awesome picture.  Enjoy! Download Down Syndrome Radio, Episode #16. Better yet…subscribe, rate us and leave a … Continue reading →

Due to an unfortunate hacking event, the original write-up for this podcast was lost.  Thankfully, we still have a copy of the audio.  And this awesome picture.  Enjoy! Download Down Syndrome Radio, Episode #15. Better yet…subscribe, rate us and leave a … Continue reading →

Due to an unfortunate hacking event, the original write-up for this podcast was lost.  Thankfully, we still have a copy of the audio.  And this awesome picture.  Enjoy! Download Down Syndrome Radio, Episode #14. Better yet…subscribe, rate us and leave a … Continue reading →

There is something special going on here in San Diego this week.  The seeds for true inclusion are being sown.  These kids may think they are just playing with some cool toys in a really nice house, but they will … Continue reading →

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness month and we kick it off with a bang.  We are very pleased to welcome Chip Gerhardt, Chairman of the Board of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to the show.  Chip is a … Continue reading →

Dana Halle has made HUGE contributions to the Down Syndrome community over the years.  She co-founded the Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County many years back and more recently, she developed ‘The Learning Program’ which is accelerating education for people with Down … Continue reading →

Rick from Down Syndrome Daily joins us again to talk apps.  In typical dad fashion, we quickly take a turn for the worse and venture off topic.  After trading bodily fluid stories, we get back on track and discuss our … Continue reading →

The mission of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation is a simple and concise summary of the reasons why we started this podcast:  Research, care, advocacy.  Seems like a perfect match! Dr. Jérôme Lejeune was a French pediatrician and geneticist who, in … Continue reading →

In the short time that we have been recording this podcast, we have always stressed the importance of siblings in our kids' lives.  In 1962 one sibling raised the bar for brothers and sisters everywhere.  Rosemary Kennedy's sister believed that … Continue reading →

Running on fumes and adrenaline, we recap the highlights of the NDSC Convention from a very busy weekend in Washington, DC.  From advocating on Capitol Hill to dancing the night away – with workshops, exhibits, hallway and pool meetings in … Continue reading →

In the first few installments of this humble podcast, we found ourselves continuously visiting one site for ideas for our “great/amazing/inspirational story” segment.  Down Syndrome Daily is an excellent resource for the Down syndrome community and we are very excited … Continue reading →

A national organization comprised of dads dedicated to supporting the fathers and families of children with Down syndrome?  Heck, it’s even named D.A.D.S!  Sounds like a perfect match for our humble podcast about DS from a dad's perspective! In just over 10 years, … Continue reading →

IEP, IFSP, IDEA, NCLB….WTF?? Did you know that there are trained individuals who will help you decipher the acronyms and navigate the often confusing bureaucracy around special needs services?  Well there are, and these folks are called Special Needs Advocates.  … Continue reading →

Hey all, This is Mark from Down Syndrome Radio.  Papa Jason and I are planning on recording another episode on Tuesday evening.   In the meantime, I thought I would post the words/audio to the ‘Aint Seen Nothin Yet’ Song that … Continue reading →

There are a ton of resources out there with varying degrees of useful information about Down syndrome.  We break down what we think are the most informative, helpful and enjoyable websites, books, blogs and podcasts (of course)!  See the big … Continue reading →

You may be thinking….two topics?!?!  Why not?  Yes, we attempt to tackle two topics in this episode. The second half of this episode picks up where we left off in Episode #1.  After we received the news, how did we … Continue reading →

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Down Syndrome Radio by the Down Right Awesome Dads, Mark and Jason.  In this episode, we introduce ourselves and share our stories about receiving the diagnosis. Being informed that your newborn or in utero … Continue reading →