Speech Support Charity Enhances Social Skills

A young woman with Down’s syndrome, who has received assistance from a speech and language support organization for a decade, states that the help has benefited her social interactions. Laura participates in Chatterbox, a recurring program organized by the South Manchester Down’s Syndrome Support Group. This program offers the services of four speech and language therapists along with occupational therapy. The 16-year-old, who recently achieved success in five GCSE examinations, commented: “I enjoy it and it really improves my social development, communicating with other people.” Her mother indicated that the organization, which receives financial backing from BBC Children in Need, has assisted Laura “tremendously.” Certain children diagnosed with Down’s syndrome encounter difficulties with verbal communication because of reduced muscle tone in their mouths, cheeks, and tongues. Esther Whitaker, a representative from the charity, stated that financial contributions from Children in Need are “vital” for maintaining the provision of services for young individuals. She remarked: “When a family finds out that their baby has Down syndrome it might be a surprise and that’s where our charity exists to provide an instant support network.” She further added: “We support our families from birth right up to adulthood and we do this in a variety of ways, including events, training and therapy.” Laura has consistently participated monthly, attending social gatherings for those aged 10-16, and is currently enrolled in college. Lizzie, whose infant son Orin recently commenced Chatterbox sessions, commented: “He’s getting to that point where he is wanting to communicate with us.” She continued: “He’s going to be able to do that a lot better because he has got that targeted intervention for him and other children his age.” Lizzie expressed that the absence of Chatterbox would represent “a huge loss to all of us here.” She elaborated: “We’re such a big community, such a close community and they offer speech, occupational therapy and just having a chat with people.” Ms. Whitaker further emphasized: “Children In Need funding is incredibly important to our charity. We rely solely on donations. We have 250 members relying on us to provide these vital services and we simply couldn’t do that without Children in Need. We’re here to support them to shine and that is so rewarding.” For more content, listeners can access BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and connect with BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story suggestions can be submitted to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 0808 100 2230. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding the BBC’s policy on external links is available.