Frankie is a fourth degree black belt inductee in the International Martial Arts hall of fame - as a karate master. He's also a special olympian, a keyboard virtuoso, a guitar player and a .......choir singer, alter server, teachers aid and much more. BTW, Frankie has Down's Syndrome! This a story about parental commitment, creativity, innovation & love, the importance of having a social support group and about ways that special teachers teach special kids that may help others with disabilities. Frankies successes go far beyond his disabilities - he is an inspiration for anyone who has challenges and obstacles and for those who just want to be successful !!! Relevant concepts from the fields of psychology, neuroscience and education are included, along with an extensive listing of agency resources for parents.
About the Author: Dorothy lives in New York with Frankie who has Down Syndrome. She has a daughter, Sandra, another son, Mark, and four grandchildren. Dorothy earned an Associates Degree at the Latin-American Institute in Manhattan and her paralegal certificate at Manhattanville College. She now works as a legal secretary/paralegal for a law firm in Greenwich, Connecticut. Dorothy was a literacy volunteer for many years starting when her children were in elementary school. She has continued to volunteer to teach English to the new wave of immigrants in her native village, Port Chester, New York. She also had been a member of the parish counsel of her church helping to establish goals for the parish. Presently, she is on a committee at her church which reaches out to the elderly. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of Don Bosco Community Center in Port Chester, NY. Dorothy is also on the Board of Directors of the Tamarack Tower Foundation in Port Chester, NY as well as corresponding secretary for the TTF. She is also on the Board of Directors of the South East Consortium for Special Services, Inc., located in Mamaroneck, NY. Michael has written several children's books with a focus upon teaching children and significant others about people with disabilities. Michael has written several articles for the Yale Journal for the Humanities in Medicine and others for professional Journals in the area of neuroscience. Dr. Basso has also written more that 150 newspaper articles in the realm of Holistic Health and Wellness. Michael R. Basso has significant experience as an educator in psychology at Yale University and the University of Connecticut, and as a leader in quality and reliability engineering and management in industry. His experience also includes being a consultant, a medical researcher, and a newspaper columnist. Michael is the president of the Connecticut Holistic Health Association. Dr. Basso has a Ph.D. in professional psychology and biomedical systems, an MS in engineering science, an MBA with a focus in executive leadership and an interdisciplinary Professional Development Diploma in pathophysiology, neural systems, and education. He also holds a BS in electrical engineering. Michael is certified in quality and reliability engineering and quality auditing, as well as variety of health related areas.