We are encouraging people with Down syndrome to promote their own health. One area to consider is spirituality. Perhaps another way to look to it is to consider serenity. Dr. McGuire has said many times that people with DS tend to be really good at slowing down and smelling the roses and those without DS can learn much from that ability. However, often the world and the pace of life limits ones time to pause and reflect. Studies in children (without DS) have found benefits to time outside in nature. We think that time in nature promotes serenity in people with DS, too. Another consideration is promoting a period of time daily to slow down, be peaceful, and promote serenity. Consider making your own video of a peaceful place--people with DS tend to be visual and a video can in a sense bring the person back to the peaceful place. We have seen some psychological/behavioral problems in people with DS that sometimes seem to be at least partially related to the person struggling with the rapid pace of the world. A few patients have even been able to verbalize that the the world moves too fast. Although not proven, spending some time daily slowing down might help prevent or limit these problems.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 11:49:15 +0000
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