Ds Awareness Month Story- Will

Will has a lot of friends at school and sometimes it is hard for his teacher or aide to transition him down the hall because his ‘fans’ all want to give him a hug or grab a high-five. Sometimes the hugs can be distracting, so his teacher decided to read the class a book about Down syndrome—to help his classmates treat Will just like they treat their other peers they pass in the hall.

The girl in the book has a friend with Down syndrome and she learns that her friend is her age even though she’s smaller and, although her friend can’t do some things the same as she can, she can do others even better! At the end of the book Will’s teacher asked if anyone had questions and no one raised their hand. She assumed this was because they had missed the point of the book. So she asked if they knew anyone with Down syndrome like in the book…pretty much every kids’ hand shot up! They understood, they just didn’t have any questions!

Andrea Bartosch | Mom of Will, age 6—1st grader