Its been a little while since we have updated our website and for our regular followers we apologise for this BUT we are back!!

Whilst there has been no activity here, please don’t think we haven’t been beavering away, working hard in the background, because we have.  We have ploughed all of our resources and efforts into fundraising over the last year and have also launched the ‘Social’ part of our provision more fully.

As children with Downs Syndrome get older, the gap between them and ‘typically developing peers’ gets bigger which means that the opportunity to socialise, make friends, have fun and promote independence decreases. With this in mind, we thought we would take the matter into our own hands and create a programme of regular activities for our children.  This will not only provide new stimulation and learning experiences but will also provide a great opportunity to meet up & catch up with friends (for the children and Carers alike!).

So far we have been to :

• Clip n Climb – Clip n Climb
• Jump In – Jump In
• Thomley Hall – Thomley Hall
• Norden Farm – Norden Farm
• Cinema

We have plans for a Pantomime trip in December, Bowling and Karting in the New Year!

Friday 30 November 2018 saw our very first Pamper Night and what a huge success it was! We were lucky enough to have the beautifully decorated halls at St Edmund Campion School in Maidenhead at our disposal and put on a wonderful Pamper Night for local people, raising funds for Chatterbox.

As well as our usual FABULOUS raffle and INCREDIBLE silent auction, we also had 11 stalls, selling an incredible selection of products including Aromatherapy Candles, Handmade Artwork, Childrens Communication Aids, Handbags, Scarves, Jewellery, Health Products, Beauty Products.  We also had 2 incredibly talented local Artists – Laura Holloway Laura Holloway Art and Simon Ward Simon Ward Art

Our guests were able to sample DELICIOUS handmade cakes, mince pies, traybakes and were also able to enjoy some pampering with the help of 2 local Beauty Therapists – Dinara from Weleda Danira Farina Beauty Therapist offering complimentary relaxing facials and Rachel from The Beauty Box offering mini manicures.  Both ladies worked tirelessly throughout the evening, ensuring our guests left feeling truly pampered.

A small thank you to everyone who supported us at this event:

http://www.st-edmund.org.uk/

https://www.handmadecake.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/mymoodstars/

https://www.facebook.com/themilessparkle/

https://siennasixteen.com/

https://www.spiritandgracegifts.co.uk/

https://www.uk-aromessence.co.uk/

Jade Walden @Body Shop at Home, Mel Smith @Funky Families, Mandy Ward and Aurora @Forever Living.

TOTAL RAISED: £1,084

We are SO lucky to have lovely people decide they are going to throw themselves out of planes, swim ridiculous lengths, complete endurance events and other amazing challenges to raise awareness and invaluable funds for Chatterbox.

One such AMAZING individual is Zie – a Waiter from Stoke Park.  He completed the Slough 1/2 Marathon last month and raised an impressive £270 for Chatterbox.  We are truly thankful to him for thinking of us and by raising such a great amount!

We fundraise throughout the year to enable Chatterbox to continue so when lovely people like Zie offer to raise money for us, we really are very, very grateful.

If Zie has inspired you – please get in touch!

Thanks Zie

Half term is now upon us – hurray!!!

Well done to all of our little Chatterboxes – you have made it through the first half of the Autumn term.  As Autumn and Winter approach and the weather changes, many children with Downs Syndrome are more prone to colds, coughs, flu and it can be a pretty miserable time all around.  As children with Downs Syndrome have smaller airways than ‘ typically developing’ children, being blocked up can effect breathing making sleeping much harder.

Getting out in the fresh air, taking regular exercise and increasing those Vitamin D levels help children with Downs Syndrome and everyone else!  So fingers crossed we see some sunshine this 1/2 term.

Moving on to Secondary School can be a difficult time for a lot of children and children with Downs Syndrome are no different. Leaving the familiar surroundings of your primary school, your friends, teachers and all that you know can be a very daunting experience.

The majority of children with Downs Syndrome attend ‘mainstream’ primary education, however only a very small percentage are then able to transition to mainstream secondary education.

As a child with Downs Syndrome matures and moves into adolescence, life skills, self care and independence become more important that some more traditional subjects which would be taught in a mainstream environment.  This is one of the reasons many families decide that the ‘Special Needs School’ is a better choice as these ‘life lessons’ are taught as part of the curriculum and as the child progresses through school, this becomes more and more relevant.

This photo shows one of our members on his first day at Secondary School! Good Luck!

Siblings have a HUGE part to play in the development of someone with Downs Syndrome – not only do they make great role models but they also offer unconditional love, affection and support.

Friends are also important and as a child with Downs Syndrome moves through school it is important for them to have friends who enjoy their company and want to be with them because of who they are – not because they have Downs Syndrome and need their help or sympathy.

Children, although inquisitive and curious are usually very accepting of difference and hopefully by being around those with Downs Syndrome will make them realise that ‘difference’ is often a great thing and that actually people with Downs Syndrome are actually not that ‘different’ #morealikethandifferent

Second week back for most and the chance to get back into the swing of routine – something the majority of children with Downs Syndrome need in their lives.

Whilst the break from school is usually a welcome relief for most children, those with Downs Syndrome sometimes take a while to adjust and find it unsettling not to be in the school routine.  This is the same once school re-commences.

Be patient – take a deep breath and you will be fine.

Another one of our little Chatterboxes on his first day back at school.

Its that time of year again when our small people, who we’ve kind of got used to having around us all Summer, venture off back to school.  Our little Chatterboxes are no different.

We thought you might like to see a few pictures of us on our First Day back.

21st March 2018 is a VERY important date in our calendar – World Downs Syndrome Day!

This is an event, now Internationally recognised by the United Nations and celebrated around the Globe. This year, the focus is for people with Downs Syndrome to help society to realise what value they bring to their local community.  People with Downs Syndrome can bring so much to society, yet many are not given the opportunity to do so.

#lotsofsocks

#WDSD18

We encourage you to wear ‘different’ socks on 21st March, to signify that everyone is different, not just those with Downs Syndrome (or any other disability).  Changing perceptions is a slow burner, however by starting with something simple like wearing different socks, this might just get people talking ….. as this is a great thing!

Further information about WDSD 2018 can be found here : WDSD2018

What does Chatterbox do?

The main purpose of Chatterbox is to ensure our children receive regular, specifically tailored speech therapy (SALT), within the school setting from expert Speech Therapists.  Unfortunately, the NHS do not have the resources to provide the regular SALT to our children so Chatterbox was borne out of necessity and after 15 years in existence, is still working hard to ensure it continues to deliver first class speech therapy.

We work with a company called Symbol who come into school each week and work with the child (and his / her Teaching Assistant) on a one to one basis.  Very often the therapy is set out to mirror what that child is learning in class that term, or it could be that the child has a specific speech need that needs focusing on. The Therapist works with a number of resources (often including games, puzzles, stories, reading, writing etc) to engage the child, keep and maintain their interest and ensure they are constantly being challenged as well as having fun!  It is important that the child’s TA accompanies the child on each session so that what is learnt can be used back in the classroom.

The same Speech Therapist sees the same child so a good relationship is built up, allowing the Therapist to quickly pick up on signals that the child is loosing interest or finding something too easy / difficult.

The majority of children with Downs Syndrome will require some level of SALT intervention throughout their school life so the work that Chatterbox does is incredibly important.