What Joel can do

I was thinking about this for Joel's teachers and thought it might be interesting for others to know what our unique, individual little 8-year-old boy with Down syndrome can do...

Joel Can:

• Go to the bathroom by himself, sitting on toilet (likes company; "C'mon, Timmy.")
• Turn on water, use soap dispenser, wash hands.
• Dress and undress himself (needs help with buttons, snaps, zippers; uses elastic waist pants, Velcro closures on shoes or slip-ons).
• Pop popcorn in the microwave (and it comes out right) eat the whole bag (won't share) and then dump the unpopped kernels in the trash.
• Find and play You-tube videos on the computer.
• Find movies and play movie trailers on the computer using Netflix or other links.
• Rearrange my Netflix Que and order movies we already have.
• Find and play the little videos on my blog.
• Find movie music from our playlists on our iPhones and sing along with it.
• Find and play movie trailers on our iPhones (loves the preview for Toy Story 3).
  
• Use the remote to find and play the Special Features on DVDs (Currently hooked on the special features for Monsters Inc. This morning he said while watching them: "Go Disney! See Sully an' Mikey!")
• Put bread in the toaster and start it
• Tell us when "Toas' up!"
• Find the cottage cheese in the fridge and bring it to us.
• Take Flash cards out of the box and put them back in neatly, one by one.
• Turn pages carefully in books and magazines (has been doing this since he could sit up)
• Climb on a chair and undo flip-locks or hook & eye locks
• Climb over baby gates
• Get into the upper cupboards to find a box of Mac & Cheese.
• Print his first name legibly
  
• Scribble with a crayon in line motions
  
• Name several numbers and letters
• Recognize a few sight words
• Identify most shapes and colors
• Use some basic signs like More, Please (used to know many)
• Name family members and close friends by first name
• Tell us his name, first and last (although if you ask his name he'll usually tell you "Shrek.")
• Turn on the shower or begin filling the tub and get in (doesn't adjust the temperature)
• Pile unfolded laundry, then begin a new pile and stack the same laundry again and again.
• Lock us out of the car when we get out and he's inside (must keep our car keys with us at all times).
• Brushes his tongue with his toothbrush (Keep us from brushing his teeth with much strength of lips, even though his low tone prevents him from being able to raise his upper lip.)
• Mimic whole scenes from movies, including words and actions and often the sound effects and sometimes uses quotes at just the right time (although you may not understand all of his words.)
• Can condense several words into one.
• Count to 20
• Climb over 6' chainlink fence
• Hold hands and walk with Timmy
• Climb up and down stairs and bus steps.
• Plug his seat belt buckle in and unbuckle it.
• Find every opportunity to run and hide.
• Roll over and knock children down like bowling pins and then attempt to wrestle with them.
• Spit in attempt to copy the zebras in Madagascar Escape 2 Africa.
• Give hugs to familiar people who expect hugs from him on a routine basis.
• Ask for things (like toast) and not stop until you get it for him.
• Ask if you want toast and not stop asking until you give a yes answer.
• Carry on a conversation with himself: "Oh Joel, you okay? You sad? Yeah. Joel, you go hospital? Yeah, I go hospital, I bleeding, I fall step. Oh Joel." Which sometimes turns into a movie quote as at his feeding eval: "You crying? NO! I happy!" (from "Cars").
• Say a complete prayer using his own words and ending in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
• Coach and cheer for his big brother as he plays video games ("Good job!", "You did it!" "Jump!" "Try again!")