Going Through The Heart to Teach the Brain

In today´s episode of the ‘Nuclear Families Evangelist’ (A podcast that debunks the mythologies and biology by exploring the dynamics and relationships in blended families), host Traci Dority-Shanklin (Managing Partner at Sisu Partners) talks with guest Natalie Hale, parent of an adult son with Down syndrome, an advocate and an award-winning author who writes books for children with Down syndrome, ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Disorder or ODDS. She is also a national and international speaker and an innovative educator in the field of literacy for individuals with Down syndrome, the founder and president of special reads for special needs (An educational program designed to teach reading to individuals with Down syndrome, ADHD, Autism and other Developmental Delays). Natalia talks about her journey to special needs.

Resources:

The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

https://amzn.to/3h2BAr6

Specialreads.com

Down Syndrome Parenting 101: Must-Have Advice for Making Your Life Easier by Natalie Hale

https://amzn.to/3XYZQLG

https://www.facebook.com/DownSyndromeReading

https://youtu.be/R4QjwTC9flI

Three Key Points

1.     Natalie’s program is a physical program, with lots of books, but it's in two parts. One is completely fun, based on Pizza and Spaghetti and peanut butter and ice cream, which is the engaging part. If parents have time to create personal books, which she teaches them how to do, their pages, that sort of thing, great, but some don't have that kind of time. So, she provides everything that they need. 

2.     Natalie explains what sets her special reads program apart from other programs that somebody might look at for a special need for a child with learning differences is, number one it is fun, it's not drudgery. Number two, she uses strategies and teaches strategies that make it easy for the brain. That's very different from what one finds in a special ed classroom.

3.     The Special Reads Program does not just educate individuals struggling with learning differences, but it's also a great resource for families and stepfamilies, which is the mission of the show is really to support families, the family unit, and often we as parents come into a situation where there's a child that might have a learning difference for some kind of disability that is impacting their ability to learn, and they don't really know anything about it. In this reading program, a lot of parents use it for their younger siblings as well. So, they're teaching the sibling with special needs, but the other child is right there, learning right alongside so the program works regardless of the age.

Contact:
Traci Dority-Shanklin: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
[e-mail]
website: www.nuclear-families.com