Coffee & Chromosomes

We welcome back Leela Baksi from Symbol. This time to talk about secondary school choices. A conversation everyone needs to listen to when faced with that tough secondary school decision. This chat gives food for thought, insight, inspiration and hope. We all know how tough the battles in school can be to get young people the support they need, its soul destroying. Sometimes its easy to lose sight of what we are fighting for, and what we want the outcome to be. Leela gives a fresh perspective through both her professional lens and as a mother to a child with Down Syndrome.

A question many struggle to answer, articulate and understand is where and how the role of OT fits in supporting a young person with additional needs. We discuss sensory processing challenges and WHY this therapy benefits so many struggling to make sense of the world around them, and the impact simple things in your environment like the sounds, noises, smells, feel and more have such a huge impact. Join us for an insightful chat with the brilliant Claire Ginty from Achieve OT.

In this episode Una Monaghan, Clinical Director of special care – dental service, at Hertfordshire community trust. We talk about the Special dental care service available to those who have additional/complex needs. What the service offers, why its so important and how its different to community high street dentists. Gum and mouth care is so important, taking a proactive approach rather than reactive is where you want to be, prevention is better than cure. Una tells us how they understand the worries of parents and anxieties around visiting the dentist and what’s on offer to support and make that trip to the dentist a success for all.

Kicking off series 2 with a bang! It was an absolute pleasure to start the series with this absolute legend! George is 22 years old, and already has so many strings to his bow!! He’s an actor, presenter, dancer….and now an author! Its George’s passion to show the world that people with disabilities can dream big and be employed, and give back to society. If you want to be inspired, and have a spring in your step for the rest of the day….get listening!

A lady who needs little introduction, but for those who may not know, Sue Buckley OBE is a global leading expert in education & development for young people with Down Syndrome.  She began research in 1980 and founded Down Syndrome Education International in 1986.  Her research and contributions to the lives of young people with Down Syndrome has been globally recognised through multiple awards and accolades. An eye opening conversation with Sue, we not only hear the heartwarming story about her own journey as a mother to her daughter with Down Syndrome, but her thoughts on supporting development, learning to talk, social development, schooling, inclusion and much much more!! Not one to miss - listen and subscribe to Coffee & Chromosomes.

A candid conversation Have you ever wondered how and why the charity Wouldn't Change a Thing came about?   Do you have any opinions on the chosen name of the charity?  Would you take Down Syndrome away from your child if you had the choice?   Are you clear on what the charity seeks to do and where they see their place amongst the number of organisations that exist?   Are you interested in getting involved in the charity and being part of more awareness campaigns? We speak with the chairman of the charity; Jamie McCallum to shed light on all of this and a whole lot more!   I think you'll find his thoughts really interesting...we certainly did!  Tune in to our latest podcast and let us know your views!

Does your child with Down Syndrome watch their ipad far to close?  Do they go right up to the TV screen to watch their favourite show? Want to know why? This episode reveals all! In our latest podcast we spoke with the wonder Maggie Woodhouse.  Maggie is a specialist Optometrist and Senior lecturer at Cardiff university. Excuse the pun – but what an eye opener this chat was!  It’s astonishing how underplayed the importance of eye checks are for our little ones from as little as 18 months old, and how much we can be doing to support.   Maggie explains to us how you can see (quite literally) through the eyes of your child/young person with Down syndrome. She reveals the differences between the sight of a typical child and a child with DS and we discuss challenges, a common condition to look out for in adulthood, glasses (and how to keep them on!), lenses, and much much more!  Maggie also reveals some really simple yet helpful modifications you can implement at school and home. A must listen for anyone parent and teachers, especially those struggling to get the right support in their area! (Maggie will tell you how to find it!) Honestly one of my absolute favourite chats, Maggie is such a delight to talk to, she’s so lovely, authentic & down to earth.  We laughed, we ranted, we went completely off piste….but we learnt so much she’s such a fountain of knowledge!! Let us know your thoughts.

Episode 4: How far would you go to change the world for your child? Would you take the government to court if you felt so passionately their laws were unfair? If I told you the general time limit to have an abortion is 24 weeks across the UK yet you could terminate a foetus with Down Syndrome right up until the moment that baby enters the birth canal - what would you think? Is it morally wrong?  Ethically wrong?  Should it be LEGALLY wrong? We speak to Maire Lea Wilson who brought a case against the UK government to reduce the legal limit to terminate an unborn baby with DS to 24 weeks. Tune in to hear her story, the background and motivations behind the case and how you can support should you wish.

Find out exactly how your speech therapists should be supporting your child in early years, how to get the right support, and what to do to find a way forward for your child if things aren’t going the way you had hoped. Speech and language therapy is about so much more than just verbal speech.  Your therapist should not only be able to support you in sound production, but in vocabulary development, reading, signing, feeding, social interactions, behaviour management…….the list goes on!! Our hosts Nisha & Hamel speak to the lovely Leela Baksi from Symbol and talk all things SALT (speech and language therapy).   Symbol has one of the largest teams of Speech and Language Therapists in the UK offering specialist assessment, intervention, training and consultancy for children and adults with special needs.  In addition, Symbol also employs Social Workers, Clinical Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Behavioural Therapists supporting those with learning disabilities in a multitude of ways.  

Do you pull your hair out trying to figure out how to help your young person progress in maths? Do you struggle to know where your start point is?  Do you find it overwhelming and could do with some structured guidance? If you answered 'yes to any of those questions then this is an episode you should not miss!  Relevant to ALL parents to typically developing children or otherwise....we speak to Karen McGuigan aka The Maths Mum, who talks about how she began her journey in firstly helping parents support their children in Maths, and then went on to support schools & young people with additional needs to recognise the importance of maths in our every day lives and how to adopt an approach to succeed in gaining maths skills for functional & practical use in life (Maths for Life!)  Listen in to hear all your maths prayers finally answered! 

Have you ever been in A&E with your child/young person and feel like the doctors just aren’t hearing you, when you say you KNOW something isn’t right? Are things you are pointing out being put down to their pre existing diagnosis? We talk to Liz Herrievan – Consultant in Paediatric Emergency medicine. Liz talks about her professional journey as a doctor alongside her personal journey with her daughter Amy who has Down syndrome and autism.  We discuss how it lead to her special interest in inequalities in healthcare, her famous infographic on Diagnostic Overshadowing and how you can use it to help you in medical appointments.  

How & why Coffee & Chromosomes was born!  Our hosts Nisha & Hamel talk about why it all started and what you’ve got to look forward to.

Do you find it hard or feel guilty to admit it can be hard to be the parent of a child with additional needs sometimes?  Do you find comfort in hearing other parents open and honest accounts of their experiences? We speak with Sarah Roberts - mum of 3, author, public speaker, counsellor in training and award winning writer of the blog "Don't Be Sorry."  Having found out postnatally that her eldest son Oscar had Down Syndrome, she wanted to raise awareness about the condition but also give a very real and raw insight into both the challenges he faces, mixed with the beautiful life he leads. When Oscar was born, Sarah was told by the paediatrician who delivered the news that she was 'sorry.'  Everything about the experience and the way the diagnosis was spoken of, was filled with sadness.  Much of Sarah's efforts go into reaching audiences across the globe, that there is absolutely nothing to be sorry about. We talk about Sarah's life since becoming a mum, her first book (which reached number 11 on the UK amazon best sellers list) her next book which is due out in August this year and much much more!

Episode 8: The importance of lifestyle, gut health, supplements and more! Is there a way to suppress the 3rd copy of chromosome 21 in people with Down syndrome? Do you give your young person who has Down syndrome any supplements, or wonder what you could do to further support their health and development? Have you ever looked into gut health and supporting your child's genetic make up? Are we too quick to put any challenges our young people have to them 'just having down syndrome" and should we look more into the root causes? Gabi Giacomin, founder and director of  The Conscious Pod talks to us about the importance of gut health, why gluten and dairy can sometimes negatively impact our little ones, healing the body, how to give individuals the optimal chance of success in all areas of their life, by supporting their genetic make up.   Gabi looks at epigenetics - a holistic view of lifestyle, diet, and environmental factors that affect your genes, and gets us thinking about how we can support/change the way our genes express themselves. A wonderful insight into alternative ways to support our young people looking at things that in some cases you might not even think about! Check out this latest episode, and don't forget to subscribe! Find Gabi's contact details here www.theconsciouspod.com