Diff-Ability

21/10/2026

Common Health Conditions in Children who have Down Syndrome

A Webinar with Dr Elizabeth Herrieven and Dr Richard Harrison of the UK and Ireland Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group (DSMIG)

Wednesday 11 November 2026 | 12 noon to 1.15pm | FREE

In this webinar for parents and family carers Drs Herrieven and Harrison will talk about:
•common health conditions
•accessing healthcare
•the work of DSMIG.

There will be time for Q&A at the end of the webinar.

This webinar is a collaboration between Down’s Syndrome Association, Down’s Syndrome Scotland and DSMIG.

If you'd like to attend, please sign up here: https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/our-work/services-projects/training/common-health-conditions-in-children-who-have-down-syndrome/

Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group - DSMIG UK and Ireland Down's Syndrome Scotland

10/10/2026

23/09/2026

🏊 British Down Syndrome Swimming Championships – Entries Now Open!

Compete at the 2026 British Championships in Crawley.

📅 21–22 November 2026
📍 K2 Crawley
⭐ Who can take part
Swimmers aged 10 and over
All abilities welcome
25m races available for new or nervous swimmers
Full programme of strokes and distances🏅 Event status
Swim England licensed
Virtus sanctioned

📝 Entries are now open on their website:
👉 www.dss-gb.org

QuestionsEmail:
👉 [email protected]

Down Syndrome Swimming GB can’t wait to welcome swimmers, families and supporters for a brilliant weekend of racing, fun and community

08/09/2026

Maximus joined in Comets Carlisle this week hosted by Dalston Junior Black Reds FC

Comets are a friendly, calm football group for disabled children aged 5–11. Sunday's 1-1.45 in Carlisle.

The coaches were patient and kind, Max managed to follow instructions and join in up until the end when he had some quiet time with the sensory toys provided

They used picture cards so Children could show how they were feeling. There was no pressure.
Children could join in at their own speed.
Coaches gave extra prompting or showed children what to do if they needed help. It was a safe, happy session where everybody seemed to enjoyed taking part.

Contact Details To find out more or join Comets Carlisle:
📧 Email: [email protected]
🔗 More info: www.englandfootball.com/play/comets.

05/09/2026

Our Workington Group is moving back to weekly! Every Friday from 10.30 - 11.30 at St Mary's Church.

As we have paused both the Cockermouth and Maryport groups, we are able to increase the frequency of the Workington Group.

So for the foreseeable future, we will have 3 weekly in person groups, 2 weekly online groups and 1 monthly online group with Diff-Ability.

All group information is available on our website, you can sign up for weekly email alerts of groups that are on each week or check here on a sunday for that weeks timetable.

05/09/2026

The government need to know their SEND reforms won't work, please have a look and sign if you agree:

I believe that the Government’s proposed SEND reforms could limit EHCPs, weaken legal rights, replace individual plans with packages, reduce appeals, and remove school choice. In my view, children could be left without the support they need as a result.

28/07/2026

Our Maximus 💜
We have learned so much from him and

Maximus loves getting out and about. Last weekend he visited Long Meg and her daughters after raspberry picking.

Long Meg and her Daughters is one of the largest stone circles in Britain, dating back to around 3500 BC. Named after a 3.6-metre-tall red sandstone monolith (Long Meg) and its adjacent circle of 66 glacial erratic stones (the Daughters), the site is famously aligned with the setting sun of the winter solstice.

08/04/2026

‘More Than Words' for children with Down syndrome and autism.

The Lejeune Clinic will be delivering the Hanen ‘More Than Words’ Program for parents and carers of children with Down syndrome and autism.

The "Gold Standard" 3 month training course is an evidence-based program that focuses on developing communication skills through daily routines.

Led by specially trained speech and language therapists in small group sessions and including individual video feedback sessions.

Key Information
* For preschool and primary-aged children with Down syndrome and autism or cognitive delay (or if autism is suspected).

* Delivery:
The programme will be delivered online by specialist speech and language therapists.

* Structure:
Includes 12 Online sessions on Fridays from 12:00-14:30pm
Plus additional 1:1 video feedback sessions.

Focus Areas:
* Social communication
* Identifying child motivations
* Communication confidence
* Daily interaction strategies.

Key Benefits
* Increased confidence
* Individualised learning
* Improved communication

This intensive course is solely for children with Down syndrome.

Cost for Program: £500
20 hours training
3 Hours one-to-one


The average cost of this course is £1000 per family. We are offering limited places for £500 and the charity will cover the remainder.

If cost is a barrier please contact us for more information:

Starting 17th April 2026

Limited Places

Contact us to book onto the information sessions: [email protected]