Throughout the year, our therapists present on a range of topics such as toileting, advice on getting ready for school, diet and nutrition, behaviour and many more. These presentations are either delivered online (webinars) or in-person (seminars) depending on demand, capacity and the topic in question. Each webinar/seminar is thoughtfully crafted to provide you with valuable insights, practical tips, and strategies to support your child's unique journey.
Coffee Mornings are held in our centre once a month and provide parents with a chance to meet other parents of children with Down Syndrome and chat over a cup of tea or coffee and some biscuits. Each month our OT, SLT or a guest speaker is invited to speak on a topic relevant to childhood development such as; “the importance of play in language development”, “toys that support fine motor development” and “what is play therapy?”
These Coffee Mornings are a lovely way to meet people going through similar experiences, have a break, learn something new, and best of all, are completely free!
Our Get Set for School Camp is run every Summer and typically takes place the week before children start school. The camp is for children about to start Primary School and during the week, the children take part in a structured day with activities similar to those that they will do in Junior Infants.
At the end of the camp, each child is provided with a social story to help them prepare for their new adventure, and a report completed by the OT and SLT to provide advice to the child’s teacher and resource team on what they can currently do independently and how to support them to develop skills that are still emerging.
Physiotherapy is available in the Northside Centre. As children with Down Syndrome face challenges in muscle development and co-ordination, physiotherapy can help develop better posture, good movement patterns and healthy foot alignment.
Physiotherapy sessions cover:
Sessions are provided on a one-to-one basis.
Our Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) work to support children who present with difficulties understanding others and/or with difficulties being understood by others.
Classes: In individual sessions you and your child will attend the session directly with the SLT. In joint sessions, your child will attend sessions with both an SLT and Occupational Therapist at the same time. In group sessions, your child joins a small number of children who present with similar goals. Where appropriate, we can also provide advice to teachers in pre-school.
How it works: We begin by meeting you and your child at our centre to observe your child’s strengths and challenges, and to discuss what your goals are for your child. From here, we offer support through individual, joint or group sessions/consults. Throughout the therapy process, we work with you to understand your child’s development and will advise on strategies and activities that you can use at home to draw on your child’s strengths in order to help them to achieve their goals.
Following the initial assessment stage, your child may also attend therapy sessions with the Speech and Language Therapy Assistant (SLTA). These sessions will be directed by your child’s treating SLT, and will aim to further support you and your child in progressing towards their communication goals.
Our Music Therapist works with children in individual and/or group therapy sessions to enhance their physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and communication skills. The children can play instruments, sing along, practise their Lámh signs and take turns with their friends. In this way, music therapy provides an excellent opportunity for children to develop essential skills, while having lots of fun and expressing themselves creatively!
SibShops are a special place where brothers and sisters of children (three years or older) with Down Syndrome can find peer support and have a blast! These workshops are all about wellness, fun, and engaging experiences for the attending siblings. In a recreational context, SibShops offer a unique approach that caters to siblings' needs while ensuring everyone enjoys and learns together. Our workshops are planned to run during school breaks, providing a perfect opportunity for your child to connect with others who share similar experiences.
Lámh is a form of signing designed to support people with additional needs to communicate with those around them. It can be taught as early as 18 months-2 years and early exposure can help with communication skills, social interaction and emotional expression. We aim to run at least one Lámh course each year. We can run Little Lámh, Family Lámh and Module one courses. The course run is based on demand and suitability at the time.
Advice Clinics are run by our SLT and OT and provide parents with the opportunity to address very specific concerns they have about their child’s development and how to support them without the presence of other parents or their child. These are offered in addition to any groups you may be attending such as the Toddler Group or SKIP.
Advice Clinics are run on the last Friday of every month and are completely free.
Throughout the year our therapists present on a range of topics such as toileting, advice on getting ready for school, diet and nutrition, behaviour and many more. These presentations are either delivered online (webinars) or in-person (seminars) depending on demand, capacity and the topic in question. Each webinar/seminar is thoughtfully crafted to provide you with valuable insights, practical tips, and strategies to support your child's unique journey.
Coffee Mornings are held in our centre once a month and provide parents with a chance to meet other parents of children with Down Syndrome and chat over a cup of tea or coffee and some biscuits. Each month our OT, SLT or a guest speaker is invited to speak on a topic relevant to childhood development such as; “the importance of play in language development”, “toys that support fine motor development” and “what is play therapy?”
These Coffee Mornings are a lovely way to meet people going through similar experiences, have a break, learn something new, and best of all, are completely free!
Our Get Set for School Camp is run every Summer and typically takes place the week before children are due to start school. The camp is for children about to start Primary School and during the week, the children take part in activities similar to those that they will do in Junior Infants.
At the end of the camp, each child is provided with a social story to help them prepare for their new adventure, and a report completed by the OT and SLT to provide advice to the child’s teacher and resource team on what they can currently do independently and how to support them to develop skills that are still emerging.
