We are delighted that we can introduce some more in-person ABC First Steps sessions for children aged 0-3 years (up to 3rd birthday)
Come along to our face-to-face event on Saturday 22nd 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 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 those who subscribe to our ABC programme as it includes monthly 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.
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 Step sessions, 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 25th October at 10.30am in Glasgow (session ends at 11.15am).
We are delighted that we can introduce some more in-person ABC Songs, Stories and Signs sessions for children aged 3-6 years (up to 6th birthday or older depending on communication stage)
Come along to our ABC Songs, Stories and Signs face-to-face event on Saturday 25th October at 11.30am in Glasgow (session ends at 12.15pm).
Sessions take place at Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, Glasgow, G34 9JW and will be hosted by Katy Lironi, ABC Development Lead and Makaton Tutor, from our Achieving Better Communication (ABC) team.
The sessions will take place once per month (usually last Saturday of the month) and will feature lots of familiar aspects of our ABC online sessions – songs, Makaton signs, stories and communication activities. Face-face sessions also provide a great opportunity for meeting other parents.
Face-to-face ABC Songs, Stories and Signs sessions will be in addition to weekly online ABC or ABC Anytime sessions, which will continue weekly throughout term time.
Each event can accommodate a maximum of 6 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.)
Come along to our ABC Songs, Stories and Signs face-to-face event on Saturday 22nd November at 11.30am in Glasgow (session ends at 12.15pm).
Event information:
ABC First Steps and ABC Songs, Stories and Signs for children aged 0-6 will join together this month to bring you a festive session full of your favourite Christmas songs, stories and party games. Additional family members and siblings are welcome to join in the fun.
Come along to our face-to-face event on Saturday 20th December at 10.30am-12pm for December only.
Come along to our ABC Songs, Stories and Signs face-to-face event on Saturday 30th August at 11.30am in Glasgow (session ends at 12.15pm).
When: Tuesday 23rd June
Time: 7-8pm
Online via Zoom
Alyson Baillie is a Community Infant Feeding Support Nurse with NHS Ayrshire and Arran. Alyson graduated with a BA Hons in Nursing Studies from Caledonia University and she is a Breastfeeding Peer Supporter with the Breastfeeding Network. Alyson has supported women with feeding their babies for 10 years. This session will cover the benefits of breastfeeding, common difficulties, methods of feeding your baby, and support available.
When: Tuesday 7th October
CALL Scotland works with schools to help children and young people with additional support needs to access the curriculum and communication through assistive technologies.
During this practical session, Claire Harrison, Assistive Technology & Complex Needs Teacher at CALL Scotland, will demonstrate some of the fantastic built-in accessibility tools that are available on all iPads as well as show some apps that are useful for supporting early literacy and numeracy skills. There will also be an opportunity to find out more about the work of CALL Scotland.
When: Thursday 11th September
Come and join Debbie Campbell from our Family Support Team for an Annual Health Checks Workshop. Debbie will go over the resources that Down’s Syndrome Scotland have developed to support people who have Down’s syndrome, their parents/carers and also the Health Professionals who will be delivering the Annual Health Checks.
The Annual Health Checks are a very important step to improving health outcomes for people with Down’s syndrome and it is important that families feel confident about content, delivery and aftercare.
When: Wednesday 3rd September
Come and join Debbie Campbell from our Family Support Team and Lesley McGregor, Learning Disability Nurse for a Q&A session on Adult Health. Lesley runs the Down’s Syndrome clinic in Perth and has a wealth of experience supporting adults who have Down’s syndrome with their health.
When: Wednesday 11th June
Kirsteen Grieve is a Specialist Independent Paediatric Physiotherapist with extensive experience in developmental paediatrics. After 14 years working within both the NHS as well as the third sector both in the UK and New Zealand, Kirsteen founded her private practice – Movement Physiotherapy – in 2012. She has continued to develop her clinical skills in line with new and advancing clinical techniques to provide modern and innovative approaches to managing the wide-ranging needs of the children she works with. Kirsteen runs sessions from her homely and welcoming space ‘The Bothy’ just outside Linlithgow and provides both regular and intensive physiotherapy sessions to children and their families from all over Scotland and beyond! The aim with each family is to push the boundaries to discover what is possible!
Kirsteen’s session will cover typical development of a child with Down’s Syndrome and give practical ideas and suggestions on how to address some of the common physical challenges that these children face. The session will be very interactive and will provide demonstrations of how to self-assess and evaluate your child at home, know when to seek additional help, and tips on how to progress gross motor skills. Questions are welcome in advance and during/after the session.
Bookings for this event have now closed.
When: Wednesday 20th August
Come and join Karen Philip from our Family Support Team and Katy Lironi, Development Lead and Makaton Tutor from our Achieving Better Communication (ABC) Team for a Q&A session – a chance to gain information and ask any questions you may have about your child’s early years development and communication from birth to up to 3 years old.