James's story
"...I attended this conference and came away from listening to Sue's talk
absolutely brimming with positivity and hope for James' future."
“James was three when I first heard about The Down Syndrome
Educational Trust.
Someone called Professor Sue Buckley was giving a talk about
mainstream inclusion at a conference for parents and teachers of
children with Down syndrome in a town very near mine.
I attended this conference and came away from listening to Sue's
talk absolutely brimming with positivity and hope for James' future.
My husband, Paul, and I had hoped that James might go to a
mainstream school but we really didn't know whether this was a good
idea or even possible. Having heard Sue speak and seen the evidence
that it can work very well, we felt determined to seek a mainstream
education for him. We also began teaching him to read immediately
using the Trust's techniques and saw amazing results.
He started at the village school on his fifth birthday and we
celebrated with a slap-up breakfast in John Lewis' coffee shop!
James still reads avidly and I believe that the impact of this on
his speech has been, and continues to be, immeasurable.
In September this year, James will continue his mainstream
education, moving from the village primary school to our local
senior school and he is very much looking forward to the change.”
Shelley, mother of 11 year old James.
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