to KDSF, Down`s Update 2015

MARCH 2015 VOL. 59
PP 9207/06/2013 (032727)
Hello, Mr. Peacock!
@ KUALA LUMPUR BIRD PARK, WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY (21st MARCH 2015)
www.kdsf.org.my
KDSF Council Members
KDSF CENTRE ADDRESSES
(October 2013 - 2015)
Council
President
Cheok Kim Chee
Vice-President
Han Jik Kuang
Immediate Past President
Fred Tan
Hon. Secretary
Angie Heng
Hon. Treasurer
Sunny Lee
Council Members
Chen Thiam Leong
Lee Boon Kim
Tee Han Cheong
Hwang Chia Sing
Terence Tong
Godfrey Rajalingam
Loo Ai Choo
Carol Chia
Frankie Lee
Shirley Sobey
Arathi Bardhan
Teng Ah Ching
Yong Kar Kwee
Past Presidents
Richard Leow Sun Teck
Tony Leow Sun Hock
Dr Neville Anthony Fernandez
Hwang Chia Sing
Chen Thiam Leong
Lee Boon Kim
Sunny Lee
Lee Kuan Yong
Terence Tong
Tee Han Cheong
NATIONAL CENTRE
LOT 13490 JALAN JENJARUM
OFF JALAN SS23/1, TAMAN SEA
47400 PETALING JAYA
SELANGOR
Tel: 03-78030179
Fax: 03-78064862
E-mail: [email protected]
Chairman: Carol Chia
KLANG CENTRE
28 JALAN KAMPAR
41300 KLANG
SELANGOR
Tel/Fax: 03-33428259
E-mail: [email protected]
Chairman: Shirley Sobey
MELAKA CENTRE
JKR 654, BUKIT PERINGGIT
74500 MELAKA
Tel: 06-2824742
Fax: 06-2822421
Chairman: Theresa Thexeira
KULAI CENTRE
C-20, Jalan Sekolah Cina
81000 Kulaijaya
JOHOR
Email: [email protected]
Chairman: Teng Ah Ching
JOHOR BAHRU CENTRE
19 JALAN RESAK
MAJIDEE PARK
80250 JOHOR BAHRU
JOHOR
Tel/Fax: 07-3339336
Email: [email protected]
Chairman: Frankie Lee
SEREMBAN CENTRE
626, TAMAN LIAN
JALAN RASAH
70300 SEREMBAN
NEGERI SEMBILAN
Tel: 06-7625595
Chairman: Arathi Bardhan
KOTA KINABALU CENTRE
NO. 31, LORONG ORKID 2
TAMAN ORKID
JALAN PENAMPANG
88200 KOTA KINABALU
SABAH
Tel: 088-219809
Fax: 088-219809
Email: [email protected]
Chairman: Fred Raymond
For more information log on to
our website at www.kdsf.org.my
Patron of National Centre
YABhg Toh Puan Ena Ling
Patron of Seremban Centre
YAM Tunku Dara Tunku Dato'
Seri Naquiah bte Tuanku Ja'afar
Published by the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation
(Company No. 209911-K), Lot 13490 Jalan Jenjarum,
Off Jalan SS23/1, Taman SEA, 47400 Petaling Jaya.
Further enquiries can be made to the above address.
Tel: 603-7803 0179, Fax: 603-7806 4862.
Website: www.kdsf.org.my
Printed by Enviropress Sdn Bhd, 48 Jalan PBS 14/4,
Taman Perindustrian Bukit Serdang, 43000 Seri
Kembangan, Selangor.
The Down’s Update is
sponsored by the Kiwanis
Down Syndrome Foundation.
Donations and advertisements are welcome.
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CONTENTS
Feature Article
 My Story: How I started Reading to My Babies
4-5
SUPPORT The Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation
6
Information Page
Info for Parents
 Using Visuals
7
Art & Craft
8
Words of Encouragement
9
News from KDSF Centres
10 - 11
Reference & Resource / Book Corner
12
Biggest Milestones / Volunteer Form
13
Donation Slip / Renewal Address Form
14
Information Page
Sponsor-A-Child Programme
15
Information Page
Graduates of Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation 2014
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My Story: How I started Reading to My Babies
by Li-Hsian, parent of Isha (ISP, KDSF-NC) • March 25, 2015
I LOVE reading. However, I didn’t read to my unborn babies in
utero. I was busy wrapping up work before I left my job to become a stay-at-home mum. Nor was I one of those mummies
who read to their newborns. As a new mother of twins, I was
severely sleep deprived. So, extra shut-eye and my general survival trumped whatever research I had read on the topic and
any grand intentions I had in the beginning of introducing
books to my bubs early on.
I’m actually glad I only started reading books to my twins when they were closer to 12 months. It was more meaningful
as my children were able to understand what was going on and more rewarding as I was able to see their reactions to
my reading.
A bedtime story routine is really the best way to acquaint your babies with books. After all, bedtime reading combines
some of your child’s favourite things: snuggles, interesting pictures, fascinating sounds and, of course, you!
I learnt from some good sources (like Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age by Jason Boog) and personal experience how some books are better at holding babies’ attention than others. I follow a simple criteria:
1. Great to read aloud
2. Good pictures – a few large pictures (in colour or stark black and white), or colourful spreads
3. Sturdy pages – get board books and if they have flaps, ensure the flaps are not too flimsy (or say hello to your new
“friends” – Mr. Scotchtape and Ms. Scissors)
4. Large text – a few large words (more than an inch) in mostly lower case is preferred
5. Fun story, with interesting details you can point out as baby grows with the book
Point to each word as you read. Allow your child to help turn the page. My kids love to decide when to turn the page
and it allows me to know for sure that they are really engaged.
Warning: toddlers will request for repeated readings of their favourite books, but you can console yourself when reading a story again and again and again that this is how your little ones learn.
On the occasion of International Children’s Book Day on 2 April, I’d like to share with you a few books that my twins
really enjoy and still repeatedly ask for.
Say Goodnight/ All Fall Down/ Clap Hands/ Tickle, Tickle
by Helen Oxenbury
Say Goodnight was the first book I read to my twins. My daughter still anticipates each turn of the page and says the words with
the actions I taught her before I read them aloud. Each page of the Big Board Books in this set has only four to six words. Their
oversize format and large-scale drawings (the babies’ faces are about fist-size) showcase Oxenbury’s winsome, multiracial
babes, who spill food on each other, sing together, play with adults, bounce on beds, and clap hands.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Brown Bear, Brown Bear,
What Do You See? /
Polar Bear, Polar Bear,
What Do You Hear? /
Panda Bear, Panda Bear,
What Do You See?
By Bill Martin Jr.
and Eric Carle
I like these books – that come in a gift set – better than the more popular The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Exuberant artwork and pages that
lead seamlessly into the next make these rhythmic stories the perfect
introduction to animals (from the familiar to the more exotic), colours
and sounds. My kids love the simple repetitive language, and can now
recall the animals and sounds spontaneously.
The Babies On The Bus
By Karen Katz
My son loves cars and buses, and we love this version of the song. I disliked Katz’s bubblehead babies, but they grew on me. My kids learn words and concepts (e.g. up,
down) more easily through songs. We sing through the entire book, incorporating easy
actions for each verse such as tracing the wheels for “round and round”, signing “open
and close”, imitating wipers for “swish, swish, swish”, pretending to press horns for “toot,
toot, toot” etc. I play the song on YouTube and use flashcards with the same words to
reinforce recall, and they love learning the same things in different formats.
Goodnight Moon
By Margaret Wise Brown, With Pictures By Clement Hurd
I’ve been curious why this was considered a staple for every child’s book collection. I
frankly didn’t understand people’s fascination with this famous picture book – about
a bedtime routine, told from a little rabbit’s perspective – until fairly recently. I didn’t
like its stark colours but learnt that babies are visually stimulated by black and white
stripes or light and dark contrasting colours. The book uses rhyme efficiently and
beautifully. Brown gently encourages children to seek out the many objects in the room to make sure each one gets its own
special goodnight. Little details make Goodnight Moon incredible – like the clock continuing to move forward every time it is
shown, or the moon slowly making its way higher in the sky as the story progresses.
There’s A Wocket In Your Pocket / Hop On Pop
by Dr. Seuss
Straight-laced parents may proclaim that Dr. Seuss’ books are absurd and use
English incorrectly, so should not be read to children. They’re missing the point. A
child learning to speak and read needs to first learn the sounds that go with
letters before he can put these together to make words and sentences. Speech
therapists say it’s important for young children to make age appropriate sounds,
even if they cannot always say the words. Dr Seuss’ wonderful whimsical books
motivate even reluctant readers to repeat sounds frequently, helping children to
eventually master language.
Children’s book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola said, “Reading is important, because if you can read, you can
learn anything about everything and everything about anything.” However, like everything else with children, it is
important to first help them find the fun in reading. Learning will happen naturally when you love doing something.
Li-Hsian recently left a career in corporate communications to become a full-time mum to twins. She is learning new things daily as she tries to
balance the romance of motherhood with the messy realities of her latest role.
Image Credit: Li-Hsian & Amazon.
“This article was first published in Makchic.com on 25 March 2015—please refer to http://www.makchic.com/my-story-how-i-started-reading
-to my babies/ for the original.”
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From as low as RM20 a month you can now
SUPPORT the education of the children of
KIWANIS DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION
Contribute monthly
As a non profit organisation, our work in providing education for
children with Down Syndrome depends on the generosity of parents,
friends, companies and foundations in Malaysia.
Your regular contribution is a direct investment in the future if our
children and their families.
DONATION INFORMATION
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Type of Donation:
Monthly donation can be made to the centre of your choice - either
KDSF National Centre; KDSF Klang; KDSF Melaka; KDSF Johor Bahru;
KDSF Seremban; KDSF Kota Kinabalu and/or KDSF Kulai.
Donation amount:
You may choose to contribute an amount ranging from RM20; RM30;
RM50; or RM100 per month.
All donations are tax-exempted.
Automatic transfers will be made from your credit card every month.
You may change your donation, ie. increase or stop the monthly donation at any time.
A single tax-exempt receipt will be issued each February, under the name and address provided in the Registration Form, for your total annual donation.
HOW DO YOU CONTRIBUTE?
Call us on +603 78030179 or email us at [email protected] to register and participate .
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Info for Parents
USING VISUALS
From pictures reminding children to wash their hands to day planners listing meetings for adults, people of all ages
benefit from visual reminders. Often simple illustrations or words hung in critical areas can reduce the need to remind children to put away their coat, or finish their work. Below are six steps for helping kids become more organized and independent through visuals.
1. Select a level: Objects, photographs, colored drawings, line drawings, or words are ways to present information
visually. The more concrete the visual (a photo or an object), the more likely younger and delayed children are to
understand the meaning. Below are examples of visuals:
Picture
Story Page
Drawing and Writing
2. Select one image or a sequence: Sometimes one image is all a child needs for a reminder. Other times a sequence of visuals is helpful for remembering all of the steps in a task. A sequence of visuals also can be used as a
schedule to help children transition from one activity to the next.
Note: Visuals above are taken from a classroom at KDSF, National Centre.
3. Place visuals properly: Place visuals at the child’s eye level in the location where they will be used. If the child
has a visual schedule, put it in an easy to access area. To use the visuals effectively, point out their presence (i.e.
show the child the pictures/drawings of how to wash hands ...as can be found in KDSF-National Centre. Explain the
visuals are a reminder of what to do.
4. Reinforce using the visuals: When children remember to use the visuals, reinforce their behavior. Let the child
know, “I like how you looked at your homework list and did all of your work. You can play outside now.” Be clear
about what you liked and the consequence for completing the task.
5. Involve the child: Have the child write his/her homework list, select images to represent chores, or help create
pictures for the visuals. If children are involved, they feel more ownership in the activities. This also helps children learn organizational strategies they can use later in life.
6. Modify the visuals: Examine the visuals regularly to determine if they are appropriate for the child. If a child once
needed a picture but has learned to read, be sure to support reading by using a visual with only words.
Skill Sheets by Sandbox Learning - abstracted from the website: www.sandbox-learning.com
Copyright © 2005 by Sandbox Learning. All Rights Reserved.
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PHOTO COLLAGE OF ART & CRAFT made by the children and teachers of KDSF-National Centre
Art & Craft
Benefits of “Cut & Paste” Art Projects: Arts and Crafts is one of the play experiences that are highly recommended for a child with a learning disability.
Apart from the wonderful social, emotional, cognitive and language opportunities provided by doing Arts and Crafts, exposure to different material of textures
and skills (like cutting, tearing, pasting, painting and colouring) are stimulating for young children with Down syndrome.
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Words of Encouragement
Welcome to Holland
By Emily Perl Kingsley
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people
who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would fee. It’s like
this…
When you are going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a
bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The
gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several
hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”
“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my live I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you
will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been
there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around… and you begin to notice that Holland has
windmills… and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a
wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very, very
significant loss.
But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things… about Holland.
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World Down Syndrome Day 2015
21st March 2015 was the 10th anniversary for World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD). The Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation (KDSF) started observing and celebrating WDSD since 2006,
the inaugural World Down Syndrome Day.
All of the KDSF Centres had their own celebration and events to commemorate WDSD 2015.
KDSF Johor Bahru Centre organized the Buddy Walk and KDSF Kulai Centre joined them.
KDSF Seremban Centre and KDSF Klang Centre both celebrated with a party for all the children and their families. KDSF Melaka Centre had an awareness campaign at Mahkota
Medical Centre.
KDSF Kulai Centre
@ the Buddy Walk
Ms. Lim Siow Lee of
KDSF Kulai Centre
@ the Buddy Walk
with Siti Safiya Azzahra
Bt. Shahperi, Naurah
Amani B. Muhd Ridzuan,
and their family members.
KDSF Seremban Centre
A pool party for the children of KDSF Seremban Centre.
KDSF Melaka Centre
The team from KDSF Melaka Centre during
the Down Syndrome Awareness Programme
at Mahkota Medical Centre.
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News from KDSF
Centres
In the early years, the KDSF National Centre organized talks in Medical Centres during WDSD
and our students would perform and showcase their talents there. Our aim was to give
awareness to new parents, medical staff and the public on Down Syndrome and to highlight
the programme that we provide, the Early Intervention Programme.
However, in recent years WDSD celebrations involved taking our students, their parents and
siblings on excursions and experiential field trips. This year our event was entitled “Walk &
Snap” Down in KL Birdpark. Each of our students had to invite a buddy (aged 12 years old or
above) to join them to “walk” and “snap photos” based on the tasks given by teachers at
the Birdpark. Besides giving our students a chance to explore at the Birdpark, it also provided
opportunities for the “buddies” to get to know and interact with our students with Down Syndrome. It was a fun and enjoyable day for all who took part, be they students, siblings, parents, volunteer, buddies or staff of KDSF-NC.
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Reference
& Resource
BOOK CORNER
These are some of the books available for loan from the UMW Toyota Motor Information & Toy
Library Resource Centre at KDSF National Centre
Road Map to Holland
by Jennifer Graf Groneberg
An exceptional memoir that provides emotional insight and practical advice. This book is a
resource, a companion for parents, and above all, a story of the love between a mother and
her son-as she learns that Avery is exactly the child she never knew she wanted.
Including children with Down’s Syndrome in the Foundation Stage
by Clare Beswick
The aim of this book is to equip practitioners and carers with the basic information they require in order to understand particular special needs and respond appropriately to the child
and his or her parents. The emphasis is on helping the child to participate as fully as possible
in the curriculum, on equal terms with his or her peers.
The Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation - National Centre (KDSF-NC) celebrated its
25th anniversary with the launch of a Coffee Table Book titled, “UNLABEL TO UNDERSTAND” by its patron, YBhg Toh Puan Ena Ling on 11 September 2014.
The book was conceptualised by the management and staff of KDSF-NC, with the
help of Encik Mazlim Husin, a keen photographer and Creative Agency, Alpha 245
who voluntarily contributed their expertise towards the development and creation of
this exceptional book. It is a lovely pictorial narrative of past and current students who
have walked through the hallways of KDSF-NC. It features 26 children, highlighting
inspirational aspects of their personalities and achievements.
KDSF-NC is always keen to partner
with individuals, companies and
organisations to realise its vision of
promoting the welfare of children
with Down syndrome.
“UNLABEL TO UNDERSTAND” is also part of a campaign designed to raise positive
awareness about the potential of children with Down syndrome. KDSF-NC champions
for greater inclusivity of children with Down syndrome within the larger Malaysian community and believes that greater awareness and understanding of the genetic condition will help eradicate social stigma that creates limitations for children with Down
syndrome.
The UNLABEL TO UNDERSTAND
book is available for sale at KDSFNC @RM125.00 per book (inclusive
of postage).
For further information on KDSFNC, the book and its various activities, please visit www.kdsf.org.my
or contact Ms. Angie Heng or Ms.
Jennifer Lim (03-78030179) or [email protected]
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Biggest Milestones
Name:
Age:
D.O.B:
Able to walk:
Able to Run:
Hobbies:
Fav. Foods:
Fav. Person:
Fav. Phrase:
Highlight:
Thaqif Marzuqi Soo
5 years Old
22 August 2010
2 years Old
3 years Old
Watching and Singing to K-pop and Hi-5.
Fresh Fruit Salad
Daddy
“You Do”, “Lets Go”
“Thaqif is very independant and always wants to do things
by himself. He loves books and is able to sit and flip through
the pages of any book he gets ahold of .
Do you love children?
Would you like to spend time with them?
Name
Have you considered contributing your time to
Email
helping in a Centre for special children?
The Centres at the Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation have volunteering opportunities which include:
Mobile No.
 Working with children;
 Working in a Resource and Toy Library (National
Occupation
Centre only);
 Helping in the Administrative Dept. (filing, photo-
Age
copying, etc.);
 Working on the Down’s Update Bulletin (writing,
Experience working with children
editing, designing, etc.);
Yes
 Helping out in Fundraising activities, eg. Annual
No
Number of days available to volunteer (required)
Food & Funfair, etc.;
 Organizing events, seminars, talks;
Areas of interest:
& Others
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You Can Help!
The Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation is a non-profit organisation with tax-exempt status. It manages seven educational centres for children with Down Syndrome in Malaysia - Petaling Jaya (National
Centre), Johor Bahru, Klang, Seremban, Kota Kinabalu, Melaka and Kulai. These centres require RM1.8
million a year to operate.
If you would like to help us in the form of a donation, please fill in the Donation Slip Below.

Name: (Mr. / Mdm. / Ms.) _____________________________________________
Company: _________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Amount donated: __________________________
Cheque/Money order No.: ___________________
Kindly (√) the centre that you wish to give the donation to:
National Centre
Johor Bahru Centre
Klang Centre
Melaka Centre
Kota Kinabalu Centre
Kulai Centre
Seremban Centre
Note: Tax Exempt receipts will be issued for donations of RM100 and above.
Cheques are to be made payable to Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation.
NEWS ALERT!!
The KIWANIS DOWN SYNDROME FOUNDATION wish to inform the public that
we have not appointed any individual to solicit donations on our behalf and
we NEVER do door to door canvassing. If in doubt, kindly contact us
for clarification at 03-78030179 (Ms. Heng).
RENEWAL ADDRESS FORM
Send Down’s Update to a friend/doctor:
Are details of your address correct? If you
have moved, please update below:
Name: ____________________________
Name: ______________________________
Address: __________________________
Address: ____________________________
__________________________
____________________________
Postcode: __________________
Postcode: ___________________
Town: _____________________
Town: ______________________
State: _____________________
State: ______________________
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SPONSOR-A-CHILD PROGRAMME
About us
The Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation-National Centre (KDSF-NC) is a non-profit centre with a primary aim
of educating and guiding young children with Down Syndrome achieve their maximum potential. A holistic approach incorporating the Early Intervention Programme by Robert Dellar is adopted by our centre in teaching
the children. Our Centre also provides the children with physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy services. Training of teachers and parents on Special Needs Education is undertaken by our centre yearly.
Our children
KDSF-NC currently has more than a hundred children with
Down Syndrome enrolled in its programme. The children, all
aged 6 years old and below, attend daily/weekly sessions at
our centre.
Sponsor-A-Child
KDSF-NC would like to invite corporations and members of the public to participate in our Sponsor-A-Child
programme. This Programme solicits people to donate a pre-set amount of RM300 on a monthly basis towards the education of a specific child at our Centre. A photo, biographical notes, and periodic updates about
the child will be provided to the sponsor. Only children from needy families will be selected by our centre to
participate in this programme.

If you would like to participate in this Programme, please fill in the Reply Form below and send it
together with your cheque to the address stated. Tax-exempt receipts are issued for donations to
this Programme.
REPLY FORM: SPONSOR-A-CHILD PROGRAMME
YES, I would like to participate in the Sponsor-A-Child Programme at RM300 per month for the duration as indicated below (please tick (√) . I herewith enclose my cheque made payable to ‘Kiwanis Down
Syndrome Foundation-NC.’ :
for 3 months
for 6 months
for 12 months
for 2 years
for 3 years
for 5 years
SPONSOR’S DETAILS:
Name: …………………………………………………………….
Address:
………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………...…
……………………………………………………………………...
Amount donated: …..…… Cheque No: …....…….……
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Kiwanis Down Syndrome FoundationNational Centre
Lot 13490 Jalan Jenjarum
Off Jalan SS 23/1, Taman SEA
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 03-78030179 Fax: 03-78064862
Email: [email protected]
website: www.kdsf.org.my
Graduate of KDSF Kulai Centre:
Muhammad Ammar Haziq Bin Saleh
Graduates of KDSF Melaka Centre,
from left to right: Ahmad Adam Bin
Muzammir; Norasyiqah Binti Zamri;
and Atikah Zahra Binti Nor Azman
Graduate of KDSF Seremban Centre:
Anas Irdina Damia Bte Anuar
Graduates of KDSF National Centre: Adrianna Shamsul Fahmi, Adam Sufi Dato’ Ahmad Shamsuddin, Beh Shu Xian, Aqil
Mustaqim Mohamad Zaharin, Muhammad Syakir Syamsul Azli, Gan Zhi Liang, Damia Qaisara Zamzuri, Tan Zhi Yang, Muhammad Alif Mohamad Faris, Shanmugam A/L Ravinderan, Iyra Farhanie Marazizi, Aleya Batriesya Alizam, Kumarah A/L S
Yanesagar, Wan Nuqman Arif, Addin Hariz Haqimi Burhanuddin, Muhammad Syaziman Muhaimin, Nurul Maisara Mohd
Rozi, Ahmad Syafi Ahmad Yusri, Anees Faridah Amani, and Zakariah Alla Allden,
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