Kyle's Love for Music

   One of my favorite things about going home for the summer is getting to spend time with the little dude, but the best parts are the jam sessions we have when I pick him up from school or we go run errands. Me and my dad bicker over who's music Kyle likes more- his old school rock, or my modern day country or hip hop. If Kyle's not dancing to the music, you know you picked a bad song.

   Kyle has always loved music, whether it was the sound track to Beverly Hills Chihuahua (which we have watched probably 500 times) or if we were at a fair and someone was playing live music. The louder it is, the more he likes it. He's known for standing in the front row or right next to the speaker at dances, just because of the bass and the rhythm. We have to be careful though because as many as 80% of people with Downs have a hearing problem. So we limit his time by the speaker, and very rarely does he use headphones (which means sucking it up and listening to Taio Cruz's Dynamite on repeat all day).

   One of the best Christmas presents I ever got Kyle was a drum set. If we're lucky, Kyle will play with a toy for a few minutes before never touching it again, but he had a ball with this drum set. He would wail on the drums so hard we had to put balls of duct tape around the end of the drum sticks because he was denting the drum! There were quite a few mornings when I would wake up to it, but he would be cracking up the entire time, so there are worse ways to be woken up. 

   Another one of our family's greatest purchases are the Tooth Tunes tooth brushes. We had a few that played One Direction songs, and a Black Eyed Peas one, plus a few more. It's the easiest way to get Kyle to brush his teeth well, and it wakes him up in the morning because he can't help but dance!

   Using music and songs can help individual's with Down Syndrome with memory, speech, and motivation, as well as many other things! It is used by many speech therapists as well as physical and occupational therapists because music helps with different movements.. 

Story Time:

   The one song that Kyle loves the most is hands down the "Happy Birthday" song. Whether it's because of the cake and candles, being in the spotlight, or the fact that everyone in the room is singing, it's his favorite part of birthday parties (even over opening presents in my opinion). He claps the loudest at the end, and it's the time when his smile is the biggest.

Kyle on his 16th Birthday

 

Meeting Kyle

   Honestly, I don't ever remember my parents telling me and my little sister that our brother, Kyle, would have Down Syndrome. They probably did, but we were five and almost three when he was born, so not much sticks. All we knew was that we were going to have a little brother that we would love unconditionally.

Literally the cutest kid ever

      There are a lot of potential medical issues for babies with Downs. Heart defects and respiratory infections are common, and there is a 10-20% increase risk for Leukemia. Thankfully, Kyle did not have any heart problems, but he was in the hospital a lot because of pneumonia. I remember my parents getting up in the middle of the night a lot to take him to the Emergency Room, and eventually he would get breathing treatments at home. 

   He was always a happy baby though (at least that's what I remember), and we never treated him like he was different. If anyone looked at him funny, my little sister would give the scariest three-year-old glare you could possibly imagine. We protected him, like any older sisters would do for their little brother. We still do today, even though he's 16, has a mustache, and is as tall as us. 

Kyle as the ring bearer in our Aunt's wedding

   Kyle would go to different therapies a lot to help with walking, talking, and fine motor skills. He doesn't talk to this day, but he knows how to communicate with us when he needs something and he's pretty independent. One thing teenage boys are known for is their eating habits, and Kyle is no different. We have to watch out when he goes to get a snack because some days we'll end up with peanut butter and jelly all over the kitchen or random bites taken out of the fruit or vegetables in the fridge. 

   We ended up moving when Kyle was about two or three to a school district that had a better Special Education services, and it was the district my mom taught in too so she was familiar with it. Our new house had the common area for our development behind it, so we had a playground, a pool, tennis courts, and a big field and pond. When Kyle got old enough, we would go fishing in the pond or even now he likes to hit golf balls and softballs in the field. The house was on a cul-de-sac too so we taught him how to roller blade and ride a bike (even though he would Fred Flintstone it and push off the ground). 

   Sure, we would have to take more time to teach him things, but we learned patience, and when he would do something for the first time, we made a big deal about it. He can do just about everything any other 16 year old can do (except drive, but that's a story for another time), and we try not to limit his goals or treat him like he's different from anyone else. 

Kyle on his way to Homecoming his freshman year

Story Time:   

One of my favorite things is when he calls me while I'm away at school. My mom will send me pictures of him waiting by the phone for me to get out of class or practice, and when I call back he just laughs on the phone for a little bit. Once this year he accidentally Face Timed me, and when I answered it, the phone was pressed up against his eye! He was shocked when he could see me on the other line, but then he started laughing and ran and took the phone to my mom.