"Due to funding cuts there was very little help from the NHS after our son was born. We were told that we would have to wait for a year for any speech and language therapy, and the physio therapy was non-existent. "
"As such the specialist service DSL has provided has proved invaluable, with it Oscar has made huge leaps in both his language and physical development."
Andrew Dobson
"Along with all the medical complications, Down's syndrome makes it much harder for children like my son to do the basic things like walking and talking. In addition, he is also deaf. I was feeling pretty desperate about his future until we joined DSL...
9 months later and my son is now crawling and making his first attempts at speaking. "
Mel Rosenvinge
How to access DSL's services
If you're a parent or carer of a child with Down's Syndrome and would like to know more about Down's South London, please email us or call us on 020 7701 9521.
Therapy service
Families need to be referred to access DSL's therapy service.
Our referrals come from a wide range of sources, incuding health and early years professionals, health visitors, child development centes, GPs, local hospitals. We also take self referrals.
You need to live within our South London catchment area access the service. This covers Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Wandsworth.
Our therapy service operates weekly across three terms, and families get access to up to 32 weeks of hourly therapy per year, including an annual assesment. Therapy sessions are delivered in small groups and children attend sessions together with a parent or carer.
We welcome vists from outside professionals, including individuals who support a child accessing DSL therapy.
For referral requests please email us on contact@downssouthlondon.org
Saturday Stay-and-Play sessions
Alongside the therapy service, DSL parents run a monthly stay-and-play sessions on Saturday afternoons. These usually take place on the first Saturday of the month. They are drop-in sessions and no clinical referral is required.
For further information please email DSL parent trustee Andrea Ingrassia on andrea.ingrassia@downssouthlondon.org