Wondering what to say when you hear a child has Down syndrome? Our latest blog post helps you decide between "I'm sorry" and "Congratulations." Here's some friendly advice, a helpful video, and explains why "congratulations" is a much more friendly response.
Thank You – Small Gestures That Go A Long Way
I wanted to write about something I had recently experienced at a park with Hope. You’ve heard the stories about people taking their kids away and not showing understanding, but the other day we had a completely different experience, which made my day.
I was talking Hope for a walk in the park and we stopped so she could have a swing. While Hope was swinging away another mum with her young son came over. He also wanted to have a swing, and his mum encouraged him to use the other swing, but he really wanted the one Hope was in. She was using the swing for younger kids where they are more secure, so I can completely understand his want. While the boy and his mum were there, Hope signed “finished” to me, so I returned her action, confirming she was finished and asked her if she was ready to get out, to which she nodded. I turned to the young boy and his mum and told them that Hope was finished, and they were welcome to use the swing.
It was what happened after this that made my day. As I took Hope out and placed her back in her stroller to continue our walk, the mum turned to her boy and asked him to say thank you. But not only did she ask him to say it, she showed him the sign for thank you and taught him to say thank you with a sign. My heart melted. I hadn’t asked this mum to do that, but she had paid attention, she noticed something and took an action that many don’t. Not only did she sign it herself, but she was showing her young boy to do the same. If we want to see change and more acceptance, we need to see more of this. She was showing her child how to communicate differently, in a way that others are going to understand. She was modelling acceptance in the way that we all should.
Teaching our kids just a little bit of key word sign, just a few everyday words that are used frequently can be a wonderful way to foster acceptance and understanding. By learning just a few signs, children become more aware of diverse ways people communicate and can connect with others who may have speech or language difficulties showing them that even without full speech, they can communicate and have fun with one another. It helps to break down barriers and shows them that differences are not something to shy away from. By teaching just a few signs we encourage empathy, inclusivity and respect.
I know we don’t all know signs so we can’t expect it in every situation, but this was one time that it was easy. Thank you is such a simple sign that many of us know, and if you’re not sure how to say it, I have shared it here.
If you’re interested in learning more about key word sign, there are some great resources and courses around.
Key Word Sign Australia is a great place to start and has some very helpful free and paid resources. You can find more here: https://kwsa.org.au/
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