For most people, our will is one way of looking after the people we care about. We all would like to leave something to our loved ones to help make sure that they’re OK when we’re gone.
Leaving a gift to The Down Syndrome Centre will help us make sure we can be there for vulnerable children with Down syndrome. Everyone wants children to have the best possible outcomes, and you can help make sure that happens.
Children born with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome which changes how the baby’s body and brain develop, which can cause both mental and physical challenges as they grow.
The most serious complications of Down syndrome include heart defects, blood disorders that can include leukaemia (cancer of the blood), and immune system problems. Heart Defects – Approximately half of all babies with Down syndrome are born with heart defects. About 1 in 4 babies born with Down syndrome has a critical congenital heart defect and need surgery or other procedures in the first year of life.
People with Down syndrome usually have an IQ (a measure of intelligence) in the mildly-to-moderately low range and are slower to speak than other children.
Intervention Services early in life will help babies and children with Down syndrome to improve their physical and intellectual abilities and allow each child to reach their full potential. These services can help prevent problems occurring and or prevent them from getting worse and services help to foster a whole set of personal strengths and skills that prepare a child for adult life.
These services include speech, occupational, and physical therapy, group therapy, specialised programmes to prepare children for mainstream school and teen services to help young adolescents become more independent thus allowing them to participate in society and live fulfilling lives.
Gifts can come in all shapes and sizes. Big or small, every gift, no matter what size, helps to transform the lives of children and allow them to be included in the world around them as they grow up.