Improving Lives with Down Syndrome Education in Omaha, NE

Sam’s Story  Sam started sitting in the toilet at Little Leaf when he was 18 months old. When given time to sit, Sam was successful going potty in the toilet. We continued to practice with Sam at regular intervals at home and at Little Leaf over the next 18 months. When Sam turned 3, we did a 3 day intense potty training and put him in underwear. Diapers were never used after that day except for sleeping. Sam is now 3.5 and with consistency and routine, he has done great and has very few accidents. He is starting to communicate to us that he needs to go potty through words and signing.It takes a village, but through hard work, starting early and consistency potty training was not near the problem I had imagined it would be!

Sophie’s story Sophie started sitting on the potty at regular intervals at the age of 18 months. She didn’t always go but she became quickly accustomed to the routine of going potty, the sign language utilized, and had extensive positive reinforcement when she did go. Around 2.5 years of age we decided to start working on it more extensively at daycare and home, sending her in underwear to school with lots of backup clothing – she followed the routines of her peers but wasn’t fully potty trained. Finally around age 3 we did 2 intensive weekends at home (just as we did with her typical sisters) and she got the hang of it! We have not used a pull-up or diaper since, even at night. I credit her success to very early use of the potty even before she could walk or talk, consistent routines and positive reinforcement, and Kim believing she could do it at an early age. 

Little Leaf provides the repetition that our child with Down syndrome needs to learn and remember new skills. The staff is always kind, patient, and supportive in providing this repetition. The Little Leaf staff goes above and beyond to communicate new strategies and ideas that we can utilize with our child to help master skills or break undesirable habits. Most days when we are getting ready to leave the house, Lucy will say "Little Leaf" and will not be satisfied if we are going somewhere else!

My wife Dialaht and I have a 2 year old son, Ford, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome shortly after he was born. Dialaht and I knew nothing about Down Syndrome prior to having Ford and needless to say it has been a tremendous learning experience. When we first learned about the Little Leaf's program, we truly had no idea what to expect, and thought that at best Ford would be able to socialize with his peers and learn some basic interaction skills. To say that we completely underestimated what he would be learning and doing at Little Leafs would be a terrific understatement. Ford has shown such dynamic and incredible progress in his verbal and non verbal communication, socialization, and motor skills. We are completely blown away by how much he has progressed in such a short amount of time in this superb program. Ford loves going to Little Leafs and given this is his first experience without us or family out of the house, we were worried about how he would adjust. When dropping him off now, he hugs his teacher and shows such exuberance and excitement for being there, that any worries we once had have completely been washed away. We are grateful beyond words for this program and hope that the program continues to grow and flourish as it is such an incredible asset to the Down Syndrome Community in Omaha.

We feel so fortunate to live in Omaha and be a part of the Little Leaf family. However, the staff additionally works tirelessly to make their resources (such as potty training and sight words, for example) available to those across the world. This program is truly one of a kind and is giving so many children with Down syndrome an optimal foundation tailored exactly for them - it's truly a tremendous place! We are so grateful for Little Leaf's support; our friends and family love to financially support them in return because they can see how impactful our daughter's time there has been. She is positively progressing with toileting and making great strides with both speech/feeding and occupational therapies. Little Leaf is a safe and welcoming haven for our family.

Little Leaf has become a huge blessing to our son, Everett, and to our entire family. When we found out our son would be born with Down Syndrome, I immediately started looking for resources around our Council Bluffs/Omaha community. Little Leaf has provided exceptional speech and occupational therapy, and a learning environment that meets his needs. Little Leaf helped Everett learn how to walk, self feed, and so many more skills. He always has a huge smile when he gets to school and enjoys the many activities in the classroom. I would recommend Little Leaf to all families who are blessed with an individual with Down Syndrome