Hi, Our girl Kimberley is 5 in October and seems to chew on things like metal trucks and zips, hard plastic ( dosent bite any pieces off), she licks them and seems to have lots of saliva on her cheeks by her mouth and then rubs it on her face.  Has anyone been through this and I would appreciate any suggestions, she also grinds her teeth ( has done since she got them) dentist has checked her teeth and they are all fine. Don't know how to stop any of these habits.  Thank you.See More

The NZDSA, a charitable organisation is currently running its annual telephone fundraising campaign from the 13th June – 1st August 2017 to raise awareness and support its ongoing work. This year our annual appeal is twofold: · Our first is to host our annual Youth Development Camp at Vaughan Park Retreat Centre, Long Bay,…See More

The NZDSA and IHC are hosting the final session in the pilot Inclusive Education webinar series on the 19th June. The focus of this session is on “How to speak up and be heard” . This session will be an opportunity for our members to forward all the questions they have regarding education that they would like answered by a Ministry of Education representative.   I could ask broad questions but it would be more valuable to address key issues that are concern in your community.  It is an…See More

Hi, Has anyone gone down the 'Section 9' path to allow their child to stay at primary school after the age of 14?See More

There are still 2 episodes left of the live Webinars hosted by IHC New Zealand Advocacy in association with the NZDSA.Episode 3: A school's perspective Tuesday 23rd May 11:00 am –12:00 pmEpisode 4 : Advocacy –how to speak up and be heard Monday 19th June 11:00 am –12:00 pmThe Webinars will be presented by expert guest speakers and people with lived experiences. Families and whanau are invited to submit questions for the presenters.If you would like to participate: Registrations are limited to…See More

Group for people who want to exchange recipes or discuss issues with being coeliac or gluten free...

Has anyone had any success learning to ride a bike with the adult trainer wheels.  I have seen some fat wheel trainer wheels in the states and wondering whether to invest in them Ben is 11 years old and cannot ride a bike - it is our mission at school this year to get him riding a bike - Any feedback would be awesome.  ThanksSee More

HiOur daughter Sophia turns 5 in August and she'll be attending our local mainstream school. We've recently had a meeting with her Early Intervention teacher to talk about plans for the transition from preschool. The EIT will begin Sophia's ORS application soon. However she has informed us that another child with DS has been declined ORS funding recently since she's been progressing quite well, and that it's a possibility that Sophia won't be eligible too.We'd be very disappointed if this…See More