This last week, Ella has moved up to the over 3’s group at nursery.  She left the baby room 18 months ago and has continued to flourish since then.  And suddenly, she’s become a real little girl now, certainly knows her own mind and lets us know it! She continues to make me proud every day.

I am also really proud of the staff at the nursery and so grateful for the time and effort they have put in with Ella.  Ella’s key worker, Lucy took on the challenge of learning Makaton so that she could communicate more effectively with her. Makaton signs and symbols can now be found all over the nursery and they’ve incorporated it into everyday activities, including play and singing time. Ella’s favourite is the ‘hello song’ where they sing hello to each child in a morning. Ella knows all her friends names and the other children have all learnt to communicate with Makaton too, it’s lovely to see them all using it with Ella when they interact with her. 

Lucy has subsequently become a Makaton trainer and run a successful Makaton course for other parents at the nursery.  So many good things have come out of having Ella in a mainstream setting – for her and also importantly, for those around her.  And she has always been very happy there, as this weeks picture (which has pride of place on the fridge) shows.


My Big Girl xx
  

Amy Dunn

Our first baby, Ella Mary, was born at the end of November 2010. We were shocked to find out soon after her birth that she has Down's Syndrome. I was determined from the start that Down's Syndrome will never define Ella or what she is able to do. We will provide for her everything she needs to become the child and the person she deserves to be. There will be hard times ahead.... there are already many hard times behind us. But I already know that the good times will always outweigh the hard times. She has taught me so much in such a short time and seeing life from a new perspective is a privilege that not many of us get the chance to experience.

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