Hi again, Mark!  This is a continuation of my previous reply to you:   
      
   MH>  Our son used to "skoot" on his butt very fast on   
   MH>  the floor.   
      
      
             ... using his arms to push himself around?   
      
      
      
   MH>  He never crawled.  He went from skooting to walking   
   MH>  and then to running. :)   
      
      
             Nora went from creeping... i.e. pushing herself around with extended   
   arms while lying on her tummy... to standing & walking with the aid of a solid   
   object such as the coffee table.  Kids with DS who can bend their knees & keep   
   them together may have accomplished a phenomenal task in developing the muscle   
   strength necessary to counteract the opposing muscles.  Once they've done that   
   ... why waste time crawling when you can walk??  And they're off... [chuckle].   
      
      
      
   MH>  There is one very unique thing with our son.   
   MH>  I have heard most children with DS have a large   
   MH>  straight line on the palm of their hands.   
      
      
             The so-called "simian crease"?  IMHO this is a term originating from   
   an era in which people with DS were generally regarded as less than human.  My   
   understanding is that a syndrome is a cluster of features, any or all of which   
   may be found in the population at large.  Some people with DS have the "simian   
   crease"... Nora doesn't.  I'm not prepared to say how many others exhibit this   
   feature because I have little opportunity to study their palms in detail.  :-)   
      
      
      
   MH>  Our son has a straight line on one of his hands,   
   MH>  but not the other.  I'm not sure why or what that   
   MH>  could mean, if anything.   
      
      
             It might mean something to a palmist... and from that standpoint I'd   
   be interested in knowing which is which.  Otherwise I wouldn't attach a lot of   
   importance to it because other people's bodies aren't symmetrical either.  :-)   
      
      
      
   MH>  He understand most everything.  His big problem is   
   MH>  trying to express himself in words.  He is getting   
   MH>  it though, just taking a bit.   
      
      
             If he has difficulty getting his tongue around the words because his   
   tongue doesn't quite fit his mouth, that's not unusual for kids with DS.  As I   
   remarked about one of Nora's ward mates who couldn't speak because she'd had a   
   stroke... she understands what we're saying, but she can't talk.  I knew I was   
   on the right track when she grinned from ear to ear & nodded enthusiastically.   
      
             Even among "typical" children & adults, generating speech requires a   
   more complex skill set than understanding speech.  Kids who are ready to learn   
   how to express themselves in words may be able to use gestures & sign language   
   to cover the transitional period during which they still have difficulty using   
   oral speech.  Nora went to a preschool group in which both were used together.   
   The group included kids who had developmental delays for any number of reasons   
   ... not just kids with DS... and contrary to some people's fears, we found she   
   didn't become overly dependent on sign language.  While it's a useful skill to   
   have in one's repertoire, the majority of others don't understand it.  The net   
   result, in Nora's case, was that it faded as her oral speech improved....  :-)   
      
      
      
   MH>  We have a total of 6 kids.  Only one between the two   
   MH>  of us (being our son). Everyone is unique and special   
   MH>  in their own way..   
      
      
             Exactly.  Years ago... when the state of the art was that there were   
   three million possible combinations of genes... a distraught mother approached   
   me to ask why her son was so different from her daughters.  I told her I found   
   it rather amazing that her daughters were so alike.  Nowadays three million is   
   considered a gross underestimate, but I think the same principle applies.  ;-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)