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Down Syndrome News and Update 3(4)

Magic and sparkles: a creative approach to modifying children's behaviour

Amanda Wood, and Gillian Bird

Sarah Tollast is employed by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team in Portsmouth, UK. We discovered how she has used 'magic and sparkles' to modify children's behaviour across the city. This article introduces a series of techniques developed by Sarah and her colleagues. She says they are "nothing new, just traditional behaviour management principles plus a little imagination".

Wood, A, and Bird, G. (2004) Magic and sparkles: a creative approach to modifying children's behaviour. Down Syndrome News and Update, 3(4), 128-131.

Speech and Language Therapy with Galina

Gerda Stevenson

This article explains how Gerda Stevenson, a professional actress from Peeblesshire in Scotland, gathered ideas from a variety of sources about activities to promote speech and language development. She describes how she was inspired to help her own daughter, Galina, and to work with other parents in lobbying local officials to improve the provision of services for children with communication difficulties, including Down syndrome.

Stevenson, G. (2004) Speech and Language Therapy with Galina. Down Syndrome News and Update, 3(4), 132-140.

Overcoming sleep problems for children with Down syndrome

Amanda Wood, and Ben Sacks

This article reviews the incidence of sleep problems in children with Down syndrome and introduces readers to the link between behavioural problems and the quality of children's sleep. Practical suggestions about how parents can improve the bedtime routine and their responses to night-time awakenings are provided. The article concludes with a brief review of evidence that supports the use of behaviour management in order to decrease learnt sleep problems. The final page provides photocopiable resources to help parents to chart each stage of the process of overcoming unacceptable bedtime behaviours and sleep problems.

Wood, A, and Sacks, B. (2004) Overcoming sleep problems for children with Down syndrome. Down Syndrome News and Update, 3(4), 118-127.