Our Family

My name is Sally Dropchinski and I decided to create DownSyndromekidsinfo.com because of my daughter Tashi. Tashi is now 5 years old and about to start kindergarten. When she was born in March 2003 I knew very little about Down syndrome. The past 5 years have been a huge learning experience. Tashi teaches us all something new every day. How to have fun with just about anything! How to smile with your whole face. How to hug and really mean it.

Tashi has to work so hard just to master the milestones most kids breeze through. Sitting up, crawling, walking, eating, talking have all taken lots of extra time and effort, but she has achieved them. When Tashi falls over, which happens a lot, she picks herself up and gets right back to work. With the constant help of Christopher, the best big brother in the world, Tashi continues to make great progress.

Having a child with down syndrome means that you learn a lot. Conditions that I had never even heard of sensory integration disorder, hypertonia, verbal apraxia, have all become part of our daily lives. We have learned to see the world through Tashi's eyes. It's a more interesting world, full of small wonders and big insights. Tashi is such a wonderful part of our family and community, with her winning smile and quirky sense of humor she is always making new friends. Having Tashi is truly a privilege!

Well, time is really flying and its now December 2009. Tashi is in first grade and really learning a lot. She is doing great with her reading, we have found the Fundations program to be extremely effective. It is the K-3 version of the Wilson Reading Program. She has also made great strides in socialization, she has lots of friends and seems to know everyone in school!

Tashi has made so much progress in the past year. She did great in school and over the summer went to camp. She also had her first season showing her pony. This was very exciting for all of us. She did a great job and on September 13 won her first blue ribbon and trophy! This was also her brother Christopher's 8th birthday, so the day was extra special. Special thanks to her pony Jazzy for being such a great sport and the best teacher she could have. They make a great team!!