It’s #WorldDownSyndrome Day. Today we celebrate and advocate for people living with Down Syndrome. This year’s theme; #inclusionmeans, focuses on asking the questions, ‘what does full inclusion mean?’ and, ‘how can we achieve a fully inclusive society?’.
Today we’re shining the spotlight on Therapy Care participant Tanju, who has been working with us since 2021. Under the NDIS he currently receives weekly speech and exercise therapy. During his time at Therapy Care Tanju has built on his communication and social skills. This would not have been possible without first building relationships with his therapists who make him feel comfortable and enthusiastic about making progress toward his NDIS goals. Tanju is clever, hard working, friendly and always stays actively engaged during sessions.
He has been working closely with Assistant Speech Pathologists, Dominika and Alana. Together they work on increasing Tanju’s confidence and ability to communicate with his Augmentative and Alternative Communication device (AAC).
Tanju’s NDIS goals for 2022 are:
⭐ Improving confidence when using his AAC device
⭐ Transition from exclusively tapping on the device to writing on the device
⭐ Improving turn taking in conversations and activities
⭐ Improving communication with family and friends using his AAC device
⭐ Communicate his wants and needs
“Tanju is non-verbal and therefore communicates through alternative methods such as body gestures, signing and a communication device. The AAC device is a high-tech supplement to his communication, which allows him to interact with others and express his wants, needs, thoughts, feelings and ideas. He has shown significant improvement in the use of his device throughout sessions.
“Tanju has achieved his goal of making everyday greetings such as ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ through the device and is currently working towards identifying further feelings and emotions,” says Dominika.
This achievement, on top of a few others, is a true testament that Tanju is making great progress towards increasing both his communication and social skills. Tanju’s capability to engage more deeply in social settings and break down previous barriers to inclusion is steadily increasing.
“To be able to communicate is to have power. Inclusion means giving and encouraging the voice of all individuals despite their communication and language difficulties. Tanju’s voice is unique and special,” says Dominika.
Through working with Therapy Care Tanju has been able to gain the confidence and skills to express his unique personality in new ways.
It is so important that individuals with Down Syndrome receive the right support that allows them to live a full and expansive life. It is equally important that our society continues to create equal opportunities for the full inclusion of people living with disabilities in all walks of life.
If you are living with Down Syndrome and want to find out more about Therapy Care’s supports, feel free to reach out to us at:
info@therapycare.com.au
02 9626 8119
Therapy Care is dedicated to contributing to the education, support, understanding, and discussions that allow for people living with down syndrome to be fully included in all pursuits. We also strive to be an industry leader in creating support systems that broaden the opportunities all Therapy Care participants a
