Source: Briana Nelson 1xbet sports betting , 785-532-1490, bnelson@1xbet sports betting edu
http://www.1xbet sports betting edu/media/mediaguide/bios/goffbio.html
News release prepared by: Jane Marshall, 785-532-1519, jpm2@1xbet sports betting edu

Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009

K-STATE, TEXAS TECH PROFESSORS EXPLORE EXPERIENCES OF 1xbet sports betting OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

MANHATTAN -- As she held her newborn son, despair, grief and denial wrapped themselves around Briana Nelson 1xbet sports betting . By society's standards he was flawed. Her worst fears, she thought, had come true.

For Nicole Springer, pregnancy was filled with worry, tests and emergencies. But the moment her daughter burst into the world 1xbet sports betting knew this unusual baby was a survivor.

Both are professors, Goff at Kansas State University, Springer at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Both have multipage vitas crammed with research publications. Both are 1xbet sports betting of children with Down syndrome.

In a research project called &1xbet sports betting ;'My Kid Has More Chromosomes Than Yours!': The Journey to Resilience and Hope in Parenting a Child with Down Syndrome,&1xbet sports betting ; Goff and Springer are collecting information about how other parents developed the enduring spirits needed to manage the challenges of raising children with Down syndrome.

The project name came about because while most children have 26 chromosomes, a child with Down 1xbet sports betting has 27, an extra 21st chromosome.

&1xbet sports betting ;We came up with the name for the study when my husband and I saw the phrase on a bumper sticker. That just said it all,&1xbet sports betting ; Goff said. &1xbet sports betting ;Having a child with Down syndrome is a life changing experience, and part of it is finding the positive side of the journey.&1xbet sports betting ;

For Goff, the first few days were filled with emotions. &1xbet sports betting ;It was so confusing to feel grief, when logically I should have felt joy for having a new baby,&1xbet sports betting ; she said.

Gradually, 1xbet sports betting began to realize that her son, Dalton, was created perfectly, even though he had that extra chromosome. 1xbet sports betting faced her fears and began the work necessary to ensure he would have every opportunity to exceed all expectations. 1xbet sports betting realized 1xbet sports betting would survive and thrive -- and so would her son.

Springer endured a preliminary, fatal diagnosis, two risky amniocenteses, numerous fetal monitoring appointments, an in utero pediatric cardiology evaluation, and so many doctor appointments 1xbet sports betting lost count. At 36 weeks, her daughter was born after an emergency induction, ironically without the presence of the obstetrician.

&1xbet sports betting ;Katarina came into the world without a hitch and on her terms,&1xbet sports betting ; Springer said. &1xbet sports betting ;She was breathing independently, never visited NICU, breastfed immediately and left the hospital less than 48 hours after her birth. She seemed to say, 'I may be small and have Down syndrome, but don't underestimate me.'

&1xbet sports betting ;I knew Katarina was going to make her mark in a great way,&1xbet sports betting ; Springer said.

The project coordinators understand their own journeys to resilience and hope. Now, along with students from K-State and Texas Tech, they will explore the journey experienced by other families with a child with Down syndrome. One in every 733 babies is born with Down syndrome and most to 1xbet sports betting under the age of 35.

&1xbet sports betting ;We will identify the key resilience factors in families who have successfully navigated this difficult transition,&1xbet sports betting ; Goff said. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, associate dean for academic affairs in K-State's College of Human Ecology and professor in the college's School of Family Studies and Human Services.

Most of the information out there is either medical or personal, Goff said. &1xbet sports betting ;We will offer research-based data to support families dealing with Down syndrome and families facing this journey in the future,&1xbet sports betting ; she said.

Goff and Springer anticipate two primary outcomes from their project, including publications and presentations based on the research data, and a consumer media publication for families with children with Down syndrome. The consumer media book will include the experiences of 1xbet sports betting , in their own words, as well as several key resources to help 1xbet sports betting in this journey. It will be fact-based, but also have the personal experiences of 1xbet sports betting , Goff said.

The researchers will compile data from online surveys and follow up with more in-depth qualitative interviews with selected participants. Specific questions ask participants how they coped with their child's Down 1xbet sports betting diagnosis, about their relationship as a couple, and their hope and satisfaction with life. Surveys will ask for best moments and difficult moments.

&1xbet sports betting ;Data we have gathered so far include experiences from parents who often face situations where they are frustrated, grieving and confused. But they also describe the positive aspects and absolute hope and adoration they have for their child,&1xbet sports betting ; Goff said.

&1xbet sports betting ;These parents cherish and embrace the special moments that are often overlooked or taken for granted by parents with typically-developing children. Participants are also describing the ways in which their children have made them better as individuals and the new lens of tolerance they now possess for recognizing and being sensitive to difference in people of all kinds,&1xbet sports betting ; she said.

Participants include single 1xbet sports betting and 1xbet sports betting who are currently in a relationship -- married, dating, stepparent, etc. -- with children of any age, from 1xbet sports betting -to-be through 1xbet sports betting of adult children.

Goff said the team hopes to gather several hundred surveys from 1xbet sports betting . The National Down Syndrome Congress will feature the survey, available on its Web site, in an upcoming newsletter. 1xbet sports betting of children with Down syndrome may participate at https://surveys.ksu.edu/TS?offeringId=148766

&1xbet sports betting ;We are not doing this research as experts in the field, but as fellow parents, providing information that we hope is more user-friendly and yet still factual in comparison to some of the professional literature that is often provided to new parents facing Down syndrome,&1xbet sports betting ; Goff said.

&1xbet sports betting ;We hope that this research and the book publication will provide answers to some of the early questions faced by parents, family members, friends and professionals working with and caring for children with Down syndrome. I thought my life would never be the same -- and I am so glad it has not been,&1xbet sports betting ; Goff said.

1xbet sports betting students working on the study are Taylor Veh, sophomore in microbiology and premedicine, Hutchinson; Laura Cline, senior in family studies and human services, Overland Park; Madison Peak, sophomore in nutritional sciences, Shawnee; and Courtney Tracy, sophomore in elementary education and humanities, Franktown, Colo.