Early Intervention Groups

Early Intervention Sessions 0-2 years (Babies)

These social and communication groups are open to all families with children aged from 0 - 2 years old. The groups will be taught in blocks of six sessions and led by 21 Together’s Education team and are aimed at teaching key skills such as; Makaton signing, interaction techniques, early physical skills and emotional support, as well as a chance to socialise with other parents/carers.

Sessions are designed to work on the strengths and weaknesses of the learning profile of a baby with Down’s syndrome and allow the families to ask questions and receive syndrome-specific advice and support. An example of the sessions format:

Week 1 – Makaton signing

Week 2 – Positive interaction with your baby

Week 3 – Down’s Syndrome Early Learning Journal

Week 4 – Visual support

Week 5 – Positive behaviour strategies

Week 6 – Messy play

Dates for these sessions will be advertised on our social media, as well as highlighted on the What’s On page of our website.

Early Intervention Groups 2-4 years (Pre-School)

The Early Intervention Groups for 2-4-year-olds is held weekly and utilises syndrome-specific approaches to learning; covering literacy, numeracy, self-help, and social-emotional skills. Resources are also provided to parents to continue learning opportunities at home.

The programme is led by our Education Specialist with supervision from a Speech and Language Therapist, and additional input from an Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, and Community Support Worker to provide holistic support for the children and give guidance to parents.

Each group is run by 2 members of 21 Together staff and has a maximum of 4 children, to allow them to get the maximum learning experience per session.

Pre-school and nursery staff are also invited to join a session to observe and continue the techniques and learning in their settings. For those about to transition into school and our sessions for 4-7-year-olds, we invite any school staff who would like to meet the child in our setting and see the strategies we use before they start Year R.

These sessions have team-working at their heart. The more people that understand the learning profile and strategies to support our children the more benefit is seen.

Sessions are available in both Maidstone (Tuesdays) and Margate (Mondays) during term time.

Early Intervention Groups 4-7 years (Infants)

The Early Intervention Groups for 4-7-year-olds run every other Saturday and follow on from the learnings and strategies taught in our 2-4-year-old sessions.

Targeting children in their first years of school, this group supports language development, social communication, and behaviour. Promoting expectations of our children and supporting schools with inclusion

Primary school SENCos, teachers and support staff are also invited to join a session to observe and continue the techniques and learning in their settings.

The programme is led by our Education Specialist with supervision from a Speech and Language Therapist, and additional input from an Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, and Community Support Worker to provide holistic support for the children and give guidance to parents.

Each group is run by 2 members of 21 Together staff and has a maximum of 4 children, to allow them to get the maximum learning experience per session.

Sessions are available in both Maidstone and Margate biweekly on Saturdays during term time.

Early Intervention Groups 7-11 years (Juniors)

The Early Intervention Groups for 7-11-year-olds run every other Saturday and follow on from the learnings and strategies taught in our 4-7-year-old sessions.

These small groups focus on speech and language and social communication, yet we also provide additional support for children and young people to build self-awareness, awareness of others and socially appropriate behaviour. Each term is topic-based and allows our children to explore areas such as relationships, community, time, and language for identity and transitions in a fun and inclusive environment.

The sessions are speech therapy led and carefully planned and run by our highly trained staff. The groups are not a replacement for direct speech and language input but are designed to complement any individualised speech programmes that the children already have. If parents need assistance accessing therapy services from the NHS or in school – we can also support with this.

These sessions provide an excellent basis for young people to move to our S-Club sessions at the appropriate time.

Each group is run by 2 members of 21 Together staff and has a maximum of 4 children, to allow them to get the maximum learning experience per session.

Sessions are available in both Maidstone and Margate biweekly on Saturdays during term time.