moving over with our child with down syndrome

[michelle202]

Hi every one we are a family who were thinking of moving oer we have 2 children aged a daughter aged 7 and a son aged 3 our son has down syndrome and he also has some problems with asperating fluids on to his lungs and has to have medicine and a powder to add to fluids to thicken it , he would also need help at school and has a speech delay he has about 10 words. we thought life in cyprus would be great as my husband lived over there for years and is half cypriot so we thought it would be perfect for us but we have had to face the facts and wonder if cyprus is the best place for him to achive a happy ,independent and included life please be honest as we have him in a good school here and have great doctors but we work all the time and are sick of hearing about stabbings on the telly we feel so confused. thankyou

[karmic]

If I am being honest I think overall care for your son will be better in the UK. There are schools in Cyprus who will take children with SEN but the majority (unfortunatly) don't. Those who do, in my opinion, are not as good as those in the UK. This has nothing to do with the ability or commitment of the staff but money. Hope this helps you with your decision.

[michelle202]

Yes it does help as we wanted an honest opinion we have everyone in our family who tell us how great it is but there not in our position with the right support people with Down syndrome can live independant lives and the uk has come on a lot in the last 10 years.

[karmic]

It has come on a great deal. Social care etc. Better education for teachers and carers, inclusion etc. There are still holes in the system though, like anywhere. I suppose a lot depends on the severity of the syndrome. Independence in the UK (in my opinion) is more realist than in UK. Of course I don't know your history etc and your son might flourish here - he'll probably be able to see you an awful lot more - nothing replaces family time. Ultimately you know your son and you'll know what will benefit him.

[johnsymonds]

Hi there, We have a Downs SYndrome daughter who is 30 now and still lives at home with us. We spend part of the year in Cyprus and although we and her have fab times. I would definately not recommend moving over here full time with a young Downs child.
The provisions for handicapped children (in our expecience ) is minimal , both for schooling and for placement (ie workshops) for young adults.
The school places are few and far between and most handicapped people are simply looked after within the extended family system.
Also medical facilities (although very good) are better for the handicapped in the UK.
Hope this helps