Babysitting a Down Syndrome kid?

Question

I know positively nothing about down syndrome. I'm scared! I know the other kids will be able to help me, they're like ten and six.

Is there anything I should know about dealing with her?

Any information you know of would be helpful, thanks.

Answer 1

I have a 3yr old son with down syndrome and he is a lot of fun.

He gets frustrated a lot quicker than my other son, but I find if I explain what is going on and what we are doing very clearly to him, rather than rushing him about, he is really very easy.  He does need a bit more time than most other kids to understand things, so u may find with this little girl that if once u have asked her something if u pause for a little longer for a response, it may help both of u a lot.

All kids are different anyway so I don't know if this will really help, but don't underestimate her or let her get away with being naughty, because she most probably knows exactly what is going on and what the rules are.

Good luck! I'm sure u will fall in love with this precious little girl and her family :)

Answer 2

She will probably be the easiest one to take care of.  She may or may not have trouble speaking (large tongues).  She may also have trouble grasping small objects because of the size of her fingers (short and stubby).   Forks, etc are fine usually, but say she drops a bunch of small beads on the floor cleaning them up would be especially difficult.  Other than that you should be fine.  As a group they are extremely huggable, too!

Answer 3

She's just like typical children in many ways.  Relax!  Have fun and play what she wants to.:-)

You'll love it!

Answer 4

Before you start Babysitting there are rules that you must know:

1. The Child's Name

2. The parents/guardian's name

3. The allergies the children have.

4. Their Handicap

5. For emergencies who to call.

6. Where they live.  (So that if the babysitter has plans with husband or wife.) they can take them home.

7. Medical Conditions.

8. Where the parents work and number.

Answer 5

i'm sure the parents would let you know about special consideration-

any medical concerns-difficulty chewing

any behavioral problems (difficulty with change/anxieties they may not be able to communicate-any routines that are important to the child)

any safety concersn

how much help/indepence does teh child need...

each child-including a child with down syndrome is very different-so just about any suggestion opnhow to approach any babysitting job-special needs or not would be appropriate

Answer 6

don't freak out.  it's just a kid.  treat her like you treat all the other kids.   you'll be fine.

Answer 7

I love down's syndrome kids. Shouldn't be that much different. She may have speech impairments because their tongues are often large. They can be stubborn. They are as different as any normal person is from the next normal person as they have their own personalities and likes and dislikes. They can be very sweet and loving. You will be fine.

Answer 8

They love to have fun, so have fun!

Answer 9

Most of the suggestions which people have alrady said are good ones. especially the one of put the child before the disability, even better if you just cope with the problems the child has as they come up and don't even think of the disability.

She may need extra help than other children her age for personal care activities. She may also need step by step instructions or only a short list of them.

Instead of saying "pick up the plate, put the food in the bin and then put the plate in the sink" you may want to do "pick up the plate", "put the food in the bin", "now put the plate in the sink.

This will depend on how good her memory is for instructions.

As already said she may be hard to understand, she may also need help understanding instructions in addition to your words, like pictures, gestures. This again will depend on her abilities.

Lastly focus on her abilities not her disability

Answer 10

You could find a copy of Signing Time!, a great series that teaches children of all abilities American Sign Language, and take it with you when you go to babysit.  It would keep her entertained (especially if she's eight or under), and she might just retain the signs she learned and keep doing them long after Signing Time! has left the house.  For more info on Signing Time! go to http://www.signingtime.com

See if it's on PBS where you live! You can check by going to http://www.signingtime.com/article_info....

Answer 11

I have a sister who has Down syndrome, and she inspired me to become a special education teacher.

One hint:  think of her as a kid with Down syndrome, not a Down syndrome kid.  Put the "kid" part before the "disability" part.  The truth is that kids with disabilities have much more in common with kids who are typically developing than they have differences.  She will probably not be at the same developmental level as other kids of her age, but she won't be very different, either - just developing at a slower rate.  And as far as disabilities go, kids with DS are among the easier kids to work with.  

It's true that people with Down syndrome can be famously stubborn.  But I would also tell you that they are generally incredibly sweet and appreciative of the small pleasures of life.  I had a student with DS who literally would "stop and smell the roses" - it would take him 20 minutes to walk past the rose hedges at school, because he wanted to enjoy the fragrance of every single rose!  I had to tell him that he could choose 10 blooms to smell, which worked just fine.  It's not that hard to find a way to accomodate their ideas into something that's workable for you.

Sometimes kids with DS have medical conditions, and if that is the case, the parents will tell you about it, and what you would need to watch for.  But I am willing to bet that you will find that this little girl is the cutest and sweetest child you have ever met.  I have a student with DS in my class this year, and he is one of the most popular kids on our elementary school campus!  He is cute and friendly, and all the general education students want to play with him on the playground.

I am betting that this will be a really important opportunity for you.  It's so wonderful to have the experience of spending time with people who are somehow different than ourselves, so that we get the chance to see that people are really very much the same, no matter what our external differences will be.  Don't worry - just treat this child as you would any other child, taking into account how much she is able to understand.  Keep it simple and fun, and you are practically guaranteed of a good experience.  

Good luck!

Answer 12

All Im sure of is that she will respond to LOVE ,AFFECTION and UNDERSTANDING. WILL pray for you and her.

best of luck.Her Parents too should play their part in this difficult endeavour!

Answer 13

Can sometimes be very stubborn . . . if that happens, they sometimes can be distracted

I found that if you engage the other children in fun during a stubborn spell, they usually come around

Sometimes I've read or told a story very softly to the other children which causes them to come investigate.