Making Your Mark: Grocery dance

by LaSalle Blanks from ABC 13 News Now:
Virginia Beach -- A father, daughter dance isn't unusual. It is if it's in an aisle at the grocery store. That's exactly what happened when Dave Floyd took his 11 year-old daughter, Lauren, to Food Lion in Virginia Beach.
"That's a typical day at the grocery store," Dave said. "She wanted to dance and I pulled the phone out."
After posting it on Facebook, 24 hours later Dave's and his daughter's video had more than 30,000 likes.
"This just went crazy," Dave said. "I couldn't believe the reaction to a simple thing like shopping at the grocery store."
Dave hopes the video can help change perceptions. His daughter Lauren has Down Syndrome. But in the video, she also has a big smile, energy and joy. Dave wants people to see that in the video.
"I want them to see a typical child," he said.

Social media boosts Down's Syndrome fundraising football event

by Pete Hughes from Oxford Mail:
Social media helped make this year’s Down’s Syndrome Oxford football tournament the most successful ever.
Organiser Niki Archer trebled the number of teams from seven to 21 and raised more than £1,000, thanks to her use of Facebook.
The 31-year-old from Wootton, whose four-year-old Archie has Down’s, said she was amazed by how successful Sunday’s tournament at Milton United’s ground near Didcot was. She said: “It was a lot of work and very tiring towards the end, but when I came home and turned on my phone, I found so many messages of thanks saying it was a wonderful day.
“The amount of money and awareness we’ve raised for a small charity is brilliant.”

Troy mother of a child with Down Syndrome founds Special Miracles online community

by Rachel Dubrovin from KLEWTV CBS 3:
A mother in Troy wasn't sure what to believe when her second son was diagnosed with Down syndrome shortly after birth.

Reporter Rachel Dubrovin explains how the diagnosis inspired her to make a difference, and help thousands of other parents overcome the negative stigmas that are associated with having an extra chromosome.

"Well, it's just an extra chromosome," said Special Miracles Founder Sabrina Moyer.

Colton Moyer is a 15-month-old boy with Down Syndrome. His parents, Dan and Sabrina Moyer, said the diagnosis came shortly after he was born.

"I had no knowledge, or really any experience, or any information about Down syndrome, and so I think I was in extreme disbelief and shock," said Sabrina.

"There was so much to learn, and so many questions that the internet just couldn't answer," said Dan. "And it was a lot of concern of you know, what are we facing?"

"Everything's just thrown at you that day, that moment, you know," said Sabrina. "And you start thinking about things that may or may not happen in the future."

The Moyers started doing research on Down syndrome, and Sabrina set up an online community to update her family and friends on her findings and Colton's progress.

"It kind of just snowballed," said Sabrina. "It was on Facebook, I did have a website, and I guess there was a need for it."

Sabrina Moyer named the online community 'Special Miracles.' She created this Facebook page a little over a year ago, and now it has more than 33,000 followers.

Offers pour in to help Braedyn Stovman, mother surprised by hundreds of messages

by Sian Tompson from the Courier-Islander:
It did not take long for Campbell Riverites, present and former, to respond to a lonely little boy who just wanted to belong.
On Friday the Courier-Islander told the story of Braedyn Stovman, a 12 year old with Down Syndrome and other challenges.
He just wanted to have friends. He just wanted to learn how to skateboard. He just wanted to be accepted for who he is.
Brandi Morrison-Stovman, Braedyn's mom, said she has had hundreds of replies to her facebook page offering encouragement and friendship.
"When I read this story this morning it made me sick to my stomach and I cried," said Lydia, Mike, Chris, and Zach in an email to the Courier-Islander. "We as a family would like to offer our friendship to both mother and son. Our 18-year-old son is willing to teach Braedyn to skateboard, he skateboards all the time and at one time wanted to go pro. He is willing to spend some time to teach him."

Shop's Facebook post made fun of people with Down syndrome

by Matthew Theunissen from The New Zeland Herald:
The Advertising Standards Complaints Board has ordered an Auckland mag wheel shop to remove a post on its Facebook page which makes fun of people with Down syndrome.
The post on the Facebook page for Mairangi Bay shop Platinum Wheels showed a person with Down syndrome edited into a Ford Falcon car with a caption reading: "Racing a Ford is like being in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you're still a retard."
A complaint was received which labelled the post "disgusting" and "beyond offensive", which the board upheld.
It ruled the post was likely to cause serious offence, taking into account generally prevailing community standards.
The image was not saved by the allowance for the use of humour and satire and the authority ruled it had not been prepared with a due sense of social responsibility.
The authority had to consider whether a Facebook post could constitute an advertisement and found that it could because the page had been created to promote the company.
The authority ordered Platinum Wheels to remove the post and today it appeared to have been taken down.
Platinum Wheels manager Nick Hoyle said they had not intended to cause offence by posting the image.
"I understand why there was a complaint laid and I can totally see why they've taken the action they have. No worries at all.
"From our end, we try to have a bit of fun with our Facebook, we're always posted things that are likely to get a reaction out of people and some people lap it up. So what do you do? If you're always trying to be PC for everyone out there then you're sort of letting society rule how you live your life."
He said he was sorry to anyone who took offence.
"We're not out there to make fun of people or categorise people or anything like that. When it comes down to it, we just saw it as an opportunity to have a bit of a laugh about the Ford-Holden relationship. Some people got upset about it and we're sorry about that. But for the handful of people that complained, 1600 out there thought it was hilarious and shared it."
He disputed that it was an advertisement at all.

is Miralax bad for you?

by Catherine Saint Louis from The New York Times:

Since it was first introduced 13 years ago, a drug called Miralax — an odorless, tasteless laxative that can be easily diluted in orange juice or water — has become a staple in many American households.

But the way many families use Miralax and its many generic equivalents has strayed far from its original intent. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug for use only by adults, and for only seven days at a time.

Instead, Miralax has become a long-term solution for childhood constipation — a problem that can be troubling not just physically, but also emotionally — rather than a short-term fix so that parents can change their children’s diets to include more fruits and vegetables.

“I’ve had kids on it daily for years,” said Dr. Scott W. Cohen, a pediatrician in Beverly Hills, Calif., adding that he will generally refer them to a specialist in prolonged cases. For children with chronic constipation who are not being helped by dietary changes, “We literally give it like water.”

No studies have shown that the drug’s active ingredient — polyethylene glycol 3350, or PEG — has severe side effects. But there is a growing chorus of questions about why it has been used and prescribed for children for so many years.

Last week, for example, the Empire State Consumer Project, a New York consumer group, sent a citizen petition to the F.D.A. on behalf of parents concerned about the increase in so-called adverse events related to PEG that health professionals and consumers have reported to the F.D.A. over the past decade.

The warning label on Miralax does not reflect a known risk to children. It means only that no long-term studies that meet the F.D.A.’s standards have been conducted on children using Miralax and its generic counterparts, which work by drawing water into the colon. However, discussion groups on many Web sites suggest that thousands of parents have questions and concerns about it, including the effects of long-term use.

Facebook takes down internet trolling abuse of girl with Down Syndrome

from Parentdish by Kieth Kendrick:

A mum whose Down's Syndrome daughter was subjected to vile abuse by internet trolls has won her battle to have the photos removed from Facebook, thanks to Parentdish.co.uk.

We stepped in after Liz Crowter was alerted to online pages that mocked her 16-year-old daughter Heidi.

Images of the teenager were taken from a Down's support group site posted by her mum and then shared amongst fellow trollers who made 'jokes' about the girl's looks.

Some of the things they wrote about Heidi are too offensive to be repeated here, but several were of a sexual nature.

The mildest was: "I'd do her," according to Liz, from Coventry.

The mum-of-four said she was 'horrified' when she discovered the photos were in circulation and were being used to attack her child.

She told Parentdish.co.uk: "I felt so angry and upset. It was very distressing."

And she said that Heidi – who is internet-savvy – had also seen the abuse and was "very hurt" by the things that had been written about her. Heidi's two older brothers, Dan and Tim, and younger sister Suzy, were also distressed by what trollers were saying about their sister.

"But they know how the internet works and just feel sad that there was nothing they could do about it," said Liz.

Heidi's pictures were taken from a local support group website, which Mrs Crowter ran for about five years.

On the group's site, Liz had shared her experiences of being the mother of a child with Down's Syndrome and also went on trips and holidays with the group's members.

In October, she found her daughter's picture on a Facebook page which insulted people with Down's Syndrome and other learning difficulties.

She contacted Facebook and also West Midlands Police, who she said informed her it was not a matter for officers.

Over the weekend Mrs Crowter was told by friends that Heidi's picture had been put on a new page which insulted people with Down's Syndrome.

Liz said: "I felt violated and violated on Heidi's behalf. I'm disgusted that people can be so sick.

"It's not just Heidi, it's photos of other people's children as well."

The photos were originally hijacked to form the background of a "Meme", which was then posted on forums for other users to write a new "joke" over the top.

A Facebook spokesman told Parentdish.co.uk: "These images can and will be removed by Facebook; Liz Crowter would need to use this link to report unauthorised photos.

"Once the images are reported, they will be reviewed by our User Operations team – who are responsible for reviewing incoming reports and taking the necessary action.

"Across much of the wider web there are few controls on behaviour and the content that individuals can post. That isn't the case on Facebook. Facebook has a real identity policy, which makes people accountable for their actions and behaviour.

"When people on Facebook do find themselves in a situation where they feel uncomfortable, we encourage them to use our reporting tools so the content or activity can be investigated.

"We also have a set of rules that set out how people are expected to behave – the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. These rules are intended to create a balance between enabling free speech and preventing harassment and abuse."

Liz said of Heidi: "She is a very independent young lady who is studying for her GCSEs at a mainstream school and doing a hairdressing course.

"She's funny, stubborn and very kind. "We're all very upset about what has happened."

Troy Polamalu supports sidelined player with Down syndrome

from Yahoo Sports: In mid-August, Prep Rally brought you the story of Brett Bowden, the inspiring Hobbton (N.C.) High football player with Down Syndrome who will be unable to suit up with his longtime varsity teammates during the 2011 season because he turned 19 before the school year began. Well, now the young athlete's cause has gained a celebrity football backer: Steelers All-Pro linebacker Troy Polamalu. Shortly after Bowden's story became national news, someone sent Polamalu a link to the Facebook page entitled "Let Brett Bowden Play ", an online forum where more than 65,000 Facebook users have pressed "like" and commented in an effort to add public pressure to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, which first ruled that Bowden couldn't dress with his teammates. Like many others, Polamalu was moved by Bowden's story, and decided to fire out the following Tweet on his personal Twitter feed : "This young man Brett has Down Syndrome & because of his age is barred from High School fball.Plz like his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Let-Brett-Bowden-Play/229211873780578" While it's impossible to know how many more "likes" or fans Polamalu's Tweet helped Bowden gain, the linebacker's brief online missive was re-Tweeted by more than 100 people itself, which would lead one to believe it was read a fair share of times. That's not to mention the nearly 250,000 followers of Polamalu's personal account who would have seen the Tweet in their own Twitter feed as it went live. Of course, none of this has dramatically changed Bowden's core situation. The junior continues to attend Hobbton practices and games, even though he can't dress out in the team's full uniform. He will allegedly going to be able to participate in touchdown drills after the team's games during the forthcoming season, with the stipulation that those plays will have to be run after all competition has been completed. That being said, it never hurts to have celebrities backing one's cause, particularly when they are of the caliber -- both in terms of achievement and likable personality -- as Polamalu. Add to that the pro arena football offer which has already been extended to Bowden , and at least the teenager knows he has plenty of people behind him ... and options if he ever wants to try another level of football. That's more than you can say for a lot of football players around the country.

Managing offensive comments on Facebook

From PBS.org:

When it comes to Facebook, what goes up may not come down, at least not without a fight. In many cases, the social networking giant has been slow to act when it comes to offensive content and fake profiles.

Robin Sinkhorn, mother of actress Lauren Potter, who plays Becky in the popular TV series "Glee," learned this last year. Potter has Down's Syndrome. When an onslaught of offensive messages suddenly appeared on her authorized fan page, it took her mother hours -- then days -- to delete them and block the offenders.

"When it was time to protect my daughter, it wasn't easy to do," Sinkhorn recalls. "I ended up having to delete everything -- even the pictures we wanted. [Facebook] needs to be more user-friendly for parents."

The incident had a happy ending when fans from around the world posted updates supporting Potter. The mother and daughter still use Facebook, in part to spread the word about a campaign to raise awareness that using "the R-word" (retard) in any situation -- online or off -- is not okay.