Brights Stars helps families with Down Syndrome children

Brights Stars helps families with Down Syndrome children

1 February 2023

DOWN SureStart’s Bright Stars group, which runs tailored play sessions for children under the age of four with additional needs, recently hosted two sessions for children with Down Syndrome. 

The experience provided new and enriching opportunities for the children and gave their parents a chance to socialise with other families, share stories and advice.

Both sessions consisted of free play for the children which helped them to interact with the other families.

In addition, they were also given access to a sensory room which combines a range of stimuli and equipment to help children to develop and engage their senses, with arts and craft activities also available. And the children also enjoyed snack and rhyme time

Parents were provided with information from the South Eastern Trust speech and language therapists about how to support their child’s communication development. 

The therapists led a structured rhyme time session for the parents and children to participate in and they practiced how to communicate using ‘Makaton’, a unique language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate, together through songs and listening games.

Following the two sessions, parents provided very positive feedback.

One commented: “I enjoyed meeting other parents with children with Down Syndrome, I was able to chat with them about their children and how they deal with different situations, as well as sharing my own experience.”

Another parent added: “This was such a friendly, relaxed group. 

“We all benefitted from the excellent advice, support and information from the speech and language therapists and other staff. The support and company of the other members of the group was also really beneficial.

“My son and I have really enjoyed the group and the information pack included some very useful tools to use going forward. Hopefully, they will be able to have more sessions in the near future.”