LOUTH MEATH BRANCH PREPARE FOR WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY
THE theme of World Down Syndrome Day on Saturday March 21st is ‘ We Decide’ and there is no one making decisions for the independent little group of people gathered at St Mary’s GFC in Ardee for their weekly toddler meeting!
Smiling faces and gleeful eyes are all trained intently on class leader Triona, as they await the calling of their name eagerly, so they can pin their badge on the wall.
Tons of Fun Tots is a play and educational group based in Ardee for children with DS. It is run by Tracy Roddy and Caroline Macken who each have a daughter with DS. It has been running since 2016. It is most suitable for children between 6 months and school age and prepares them for all the challenges of pre-school, and the joy in the room is infectious!
“Harry can’t wait to come to the class every week, and he absolutely idolises Triona, he’d do anything for her,” says Petrina Murphy from Collon, mum to two and a half year old Harry. “As well as having lots of fun, he has learned the Lámh sign language, which means he can communicate exactly what he wants, so he is not frustrated. It’s amazing.” Harry is sitting in circle time with his friends Millie, Joe, and Aaron, with their respective parents Colm Craven, Ashling Burke and Yvonne Hayes- O’Connor.
“We travel from Monaghan to attend, and it is worth the trip,” says Colm. ‘ The difference in Millie is brilliant, and she loves the social part of it as well as what she learns.”
Andrea and SJ McArdle have just joined in with their daughter Joanie, and agree how beneficial the group.
“We are so lucky to have this in the area,” say the Drogheda couple. “It is not only the educational side of it which is fantastic, but the support is there too, and we get to meet other parents who are in the same position, and it really sets the children up for pre-school.
This is the second class Triona Cussen runs, the other being held weekly in Donabate, Co Dublin.
“This came from when there was nothing specifically for my own son Joshua – now eight – and as a Montessori teacher I thought I could do something about that,” she explains. “In children with Down Syndrome, they can learn exactly the same as other children, there is just a delay, and these classes mean the teachers can have high expectations for the children, and they will be at the same level as their peers.”
It is run every Thursday, upstairs from 10.15-12.15, with Triona’s lesson from 10-30-11.30 and a chance for a cuppa The price is €40 per month, with this money going directly to Triona.