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A life skills program that is perfect for children with Down Syndrome?

Yes, let me tell you what I found. We are a lifelong learning kind of family, we love adventure and we love to learn. That is why homeschooling fit very well into our lifestyle some years ago.  When we learned that our newest addition, Cedar, had Down Syndrome, I initially became worried for his future.  As so many moms do, I worried what the world would be like for him, and how he would find his way in this world.  I worried so much about his future that often it would steal my joy.  I had to stop then and there and give it up to God, he designed Cedar with a purpose and I am just the tour guide.

However, with that being said, God gifted me the ability to seek out resources, and seek I will.  From the beginning, I have researched until the keys spelling GOOGLE on my computer are nearly worn down to nubs.  We have been using everything available to us to give Cedar the best opportunities and to make sure that he continues to thrive and succeed.  Yes, I know he is only 8 months old but, did I mention, we are planners?

Enter in a few things I have noted.  I watched the show Born This Way and while I love it for the glimpse it offers me into the future, I have seen some gaps in the independent living skills of these young adults.  There have been several episodes where the young adults were beginning to learn very basic skills like making a sandwich, counting and identifying coins, using an ATM, and writing a check; skills that can sometimes take our children a bit longer to master.

Around this same time I also started following several Instagram accounts that had older children, one, in particular, was that of @karenjp0915

Karen and her 11-year-old son, Caleb, sparked some interest in me to start working on those life skills early, I mean like REALLY early.  So if it takes significantly longer to learn how to wash a load of laundry, then if we start learning that skill at 10 years old, we may have it mastered by the time the skill is needed.  I have watched as Karen has posted Caleb making his own lunch, folding his laundry, using the UScan checkout, and so many other skills and I have been inspired to be sure that I will do these things with Cedar as well.

This is where it gets interesting, a friend of mine, who also has children with special needs, developed a curriculum with her husband and asked us to use it and see what we thought.  The program, called Skill Trek,  was designed to teach life skills that most typical children are growing up not knowing.  Skills that will be invaluable to those typical children, and if we are teaching Cedar to be as independent as possible, life skills that will also help him as he grows so that he can be as independent as possible.

I began using the program with all 5 of my other typical children and I am in love!  The skill range is from basic, like tying shoes, identifying coins, shaking hands, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the more complex, like budgeting, foreign language, and survival skills.  The program is targeted for children ages preschool to young adult and it is fabulous that it is a web-based program that parents can add or remove skill tasks from, depending on the need and ability level of their children.

More and more children, teens, and young adults lack the life skills they need to know.  That is typical children, and children with Down Syndrome.

So what is this program?

Skill Trek  is a premium web-based program with lessons that can be read or viewed via video.  The lessons are short, simple, and designed to be completed in a way that teaches mastery.  The lessons can be printed or read online and almost all of them have an accompanying video tutorial as well.

When a child masters a skill they are able to upload their photo to the “Hall of Fame” which is a scrolling roster of mastered skills, kind of a pat on the back if you will.  In addition, they earn a “nugget” for completing a skill successfully, these nuggets are HUGE encouragers for my children who know that they will be able to save them up in exchange for prizes in the Skill Trek Store.

There are fun characters that lead the way through the different levels as children interact and learn life skills.You can view some of the sample videos lessons here.

The day is not far away when you too will step back and say, “Wow, I can’t believe how much they can do because of Skill Trek.” And you won’t have to hunt for these changes, as they’ll become self-evident.

When you call out for someone to make breakfast, and children jump at the chance to try out one of their new special culinary skills or replace a burned-out light bulb, take care of a blocked sink, a malfunctioning toilet, or any one of hundreds of skills, you’ll love hearing, “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ve got this!”

It is great that I have only to log on and work through the short lessons with my children, some of which take as little as 5 minutes, some take longer, but often they are skills that I don’t necessarily think of until I am reminded that maybe we haven’t done that just yet, like teaching my 14 year old how to check the oil on all the cars we own (since each is very different).  We are loving the program and I think it is a great fit for our xtra special kiddos from preschool through adulthood as well.

I asked the creators some very specific questions about how this program could be used with children and young adults who have Down Syndrome and they were gracious enough to film their answers.  Sara and her husband are parents to 7 children, some with special needs, here is what they have to say:

Skill Trek is a supplemental curriculum using lessons that include:

• explanation of the task,
• instructions for completing the task,
• video instructions where appropriate,
• and an assignment to be completed to show mastery.

The assignments are hands-on and generally use materials from around the house. No extra cost.

The membership-based program allows for enrollment of one child or the entire family. Parents control the access and oversees all aspects of the program. While Skill Trek may place a child in a specific level based on age, parents may change the level based on the needs of their child.

The developers of Skill Trek are homeschool parents of seven children. They looked for a program to meet the gaps they saw in their children. Having both typically developing children and children with special needs, this dad and mom looked for a curriculum to help them explore the areas they wanted to cover. They also needed it to be customizable and allow the whole family to learn together. Finding nothing, they began to create their own lessons.

Highlights of Skill Trek are

• Kindergarten (even some preschool) through high school levels.
• Internet-based, no costly textbooks.
• More than 500 multimedia lessons.
• Customizable to meet children’s and family’s needs.
• Allows children to work at their developmental age.
• Not just cooking and cleaning.
• Skills taught include financial literacy, current events, technology, emergency preparedness, and more.
• Works within the family schedule.
• Parental controls and oversight.

Skill Trek makes a fundamental difference for families. Not only are children becoming proficient in essential life skills, but they are using those skills within the family unit. Younger children are even teaching their new skills to their older siblings. And parents are learning new skills too. Skill Trek prepares children for life while enriching families.