We are delighted that we can introduce some more in-person ABC First Steps sessions for children aged 0-2 years (up to 3rd birthday).
Come along to our face-to-face event on Saturday 28th November at 10.30am in Glasgow (session ends at 11.15am).
This session will be at Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, Glasgow, G34 9JW. The Session will be hosted by Katy Lironi, ABC Development Lead and Makaton Tutor, from our Achieving Better Communication (ABC) team.
To attend this event please complete the form below, once your booking is confirmed, we will be in touch to confirm your place. We will then email a reminder of the details of the event (usually a few days before from abc@dsscotland.org.uk).
Event information:
A £5.00 charge (per session) applies and is available to all families with a DSS Membership (Membership is free, join here!)
The sessions will take place once per month (usually last Saturday of the month) and will feature lots of familiar aspects of our First Steps sessions – songs, Makaton signs, stories and early communication activities. Face-face sessions also provide a great opportunity for meeting other parents.
Face-to-face First Steps sessions will be in addition to weekly online First Steps or ABC Anytime First Steps, which will continue weekly throughout term time.
Each event can accommodate a maximum of 10 children plus a parent/carer and will be on a first come first served basis. Please book only one ticket per family. (Usually both parents and a sibling can attend, but please be mindful that the sessions are structured to meet the communication needs of children with Ds.)
Each event needs to be booked on an individual basis, but more than one session can be booked by each family.
Come along to our face-to-face event on Saturday 31st October at 10.30am in Glasgow (session ends at 11.15am).
Come along to our face-to-face event on Saturday 19th September at 10.30am in Glasgow (session ends at 11.15am).
During transitions young people may go through emotional, physical, intellectual, and physiological changes. They are learning to adjust to different expectations, relationships, places, and routines. Transition can be both an exciting and challenging time for a young person, their family/for those who support them.
At this session Fiona Maguire will share her extensive knowledge and will cover what a good transition from school should look like. Fiona works for Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) as a Transitions Coordinator. Her role is to work in partnership with young people with additional support needs (ASN), their family carers, education and other partners to provide transitions advice, guidance and support from the age of 14-25 years of age while in school and beyond school. This role is underpinned by the principles of good transitions 3 framework which promotes early intervention, person centred planning and whole family support, co-ordination across all services and information sharing. Fiona is passionate about the importance of a good transition.
Date: Tuesday 10th November 2026
Time: 7-8pm
Attendance Mode: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free
The booking form will close one working day before the session; please contact us at info@dsscotland.org.uk if you’d like to make a short-notice booking.
This workshop has been created to allow you to explore what causes the behaviour of the person you care for that you find difficult to manage or hard to change. You will have the opportunity to analyse their behaviour, learn how to understand its function, and develop a support plan specific to them, which can be used to support their personal difficulties with communication and help you to teach them alternative and more appropriate behaviours to communicate and help to develop their confidence and self-esteem.
Date: Tuesday 24th November 2026
Time: 7.00-9.00pm
Join Us for a Fantastic evening at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park!
Blair Drummond is delighted to be hosting another Dreamnight on Friday, 5 June 2026 from 6.00 – 9.00pm
There is a limited number of tickets available and will be offered on a first-come first-served basis, so to avoid disappointment please book now.
Event Details:
More about the event:
This special VIP evening, held after hours, is exclusively for the members of Blair Drummond Safari Park’s charity partners.
Activities on the night will include:
Please complete the form below and submit, we will be in touch week commencing 25 May to confirm if you have received tickets.
Grab a cuppa and join the family support team online to talk about supporting your child through puberty. Learn practical ways to help and meet other parents to share experiences with.
Date: Tuesday 29th September 2026
Hi everyone,
Join Us for a Fantastic Afternoon at the Summer Party!
We are excited to invite you and your family to our Summer event for Down’s Syndrome Scotland West of Scotland Branch – our Summer Party is on Sunday, 7 June 2026, from 13:30 to 16:00 at Parish of Christ the King Hall Glasgow!
Get ready for an afternoon filled with joy, laughter and most important some fun!
This family-friendly celebration will feature live children’s entertainment from Wave n Rave. Beyblades, Pokempn, DnD and learn to play TCG (Age 5-12). There will be a small buffet available. And of course some sweet treats for all. so come and join us!
Please register below by Monday 1 June to allow us to organise catering etc.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 🎁
Best wishes,
West of Scotland Branch
We are delighted to introduce our in-person ABC First Steps summer sessions for children aged 0-5 years (up to 5th birthday).
Come along to our face-to-face event on Saturday 25th July 2026 at 11.00am (session ends at 12.00pm).
This session will be at Watch us Grow, Palacerigg Country Park, Cumbernauld, G67 3HU and will be hosted by Katy Lironi, ABC Development Lead and Makaton Tutor, from our Achieving Better Communication (ABC) team.
To attend this event please complete the form below. We will then email a reminder of the details of the event (usually a few days before from abc@dsscotland.org.uk).
There is no additional cost for ABC First Steps Summer Sessions for those who subscribe to our ABC programme as it includes face-to-face sessions throughout the year. A £5.00 charge (per session) applies to families who aren’t signed up to the ABC Programme.
Our First Steps Summer Sessions will hopefully take place outside at Watch us Grow, however, if the weather isn’t great we will be indoors! We will be singing, signing and taking part in lots of fun summer and outdoors themed communication activities. Siblings are welcome and we ask you to let us know how many people will be attending on the day. There is lots of space to run around and explore at Watch us Grow before or after the event.
This event can accommodate a maximum of 15 children plus families and is bookable on a first come first served basis. Please book only one ticket per family. (Usually both parents and a sibling can attend, but please be mindful that the sessions are structured to meet the communication needs of children with Ds.)
We are delighted to introduce some more in-person ABC First Steps summer sessions for children aged 0-5 years (up to 5th birthday)
Come along to our face-to-face event on Saturday 27th June 2026 at 11.00am (session ends at 12.00pm).
This workshop has been tailored specifically for parents and carers of children under 5 and will focus on learning and development from birth through the early years up to school age. We will discuss health and development, specific learning profile and professional early years support available, and also explore successful strategies that you can use to support your child’s everyday development and learning.
Date: Wednesday 26th August 2026
Attendance mode: Online via Zoom
This workshop will teach you the approach of “Teaching Reading to Teach Talking”, the effectiveness of using the “Whole Word Approach” and how you can use this to help your child to learn to read.
Date: Wednesday 28th October 2026