New Jewish trust launched for Down's syndrome children

The new trust will provide a range of educational and awareness services and programs.

By JONNY PAUL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
Published: FEBRUARY 19, 2007 22:36
A new trust that supports Jewish children with Down's syndrome was launched in London last week with its first program, a unique speech and language therapy service. The Leads Trust, a charitable organization that promotes the language and educational achievements of Jewish children with Down's, was founded by Rabbi Michael Bernstein, the father of a child with Down's syndrome. The new trust will provide a range of educational and awareness services and programs, the first of which will enable any Jewish child with Down's throughout the UK to receive specialist speech and language therapy. Sessions are heavily subsidized through private donations and will be delivered by therapists with specific training and experience in working with children with Down's. Speech and language therapy for children with Down's is a fundamental requirement, but too often the level of support is inadequate or the format of the sessions inappropriate. In these cases, the therapy may fail to address the key problems facing the children and therefore not aid the development of their speech and language. This program, however, aims to ensure that every child receives the level of therapy he needs and that the methods employed are suitable and effective. "The trust was founded to provide Jewish children with Down's syndrome with much needed support - support which is currently not always available," said Bernstein. "We are really proud to launch our first program, as we feel that there is currently a lack of specialist, tailored speech and language therapy available for children with Down's syndrome in the community." Bernstein is a qualified teacher with over 30 years of experience teaching at Jewish schools.