Special needs in spain

[steve&michelle]

We are looking to move to Spain within 30 km of Alicante airport in 2 to 4 years time but looking to buy a property sooner rather than later. We have a son with Downs Syndrome who is currently 14 years old, so would be approx 17/18 when we intend to move permanently. Would anyone know of any support or resource we can call upon to offer our son some form of social ineraction in Spain. Thankyou for any information you my be able to provide.

[xabiachica]

Originally Posted by steve&michelle

We are looking to move to Spain within 30 km of Alicante airport in 2 to 4 years time but looking to buy a property sooner rather than later. We have a son with Downs Syndrome who is currently 14 years old, so would be approx 17/18 when we intend to move permanently. Would anyone know of any support or resource we can call upon to offer our son some form of social ineraction in Spain. Thankyou for any information you my be able to provide.

Hi & welcome

I can't help personally (although when both my daughters were born 15 & 12 years ago I was wrongly told they were Downs - but that's a story for another forum another day)

I have found this though Asociación Alicantina Síndrome Down

[Alcalaina]

Obviously you can´t generalise from one example but there there is a little girl with DS in our village and she is completely accepted by the other children who involve her in their games. She loves dancing and goes to all the flamenco sessions, where she will often jump up and dance in front of the musicians. Nobody minds at all. It´s a joy to watch.

Here is an interesting and positive article about another family´s experience:
Special Needs: A Personal Story | Expat Families in Spain - an expat resource and information portal

[Sonrisa]

From my experience Down sindrome is very common in Spain (or it looks common, because the children and adults with DS are very much involved in the community).
THere are many centres that cater for special needs adults and teenagers, but the programs vary.
THe main difficulty I can see is the language barrier.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by Sonrisa

From my experience Down sindrome is very common in Spain (or it looks common, because the children and adults with DS are very much involved in the community).
THere are many centres that cater for special needs adults and teenagers, but the programs vary.
THe main difficulty I can see is the language barrier.

Yes, I was concerned about the language thing.

I have an acquaintance who has a little DS girl - she's about 10, has lived in Spain most of her life and is totally integrated and bilingual - she attends the local state school and has lots of friends. In fact she's not treated any differently to anyone else. As far as I know, she doesnt attend any "special" anythings. But of course she has been here for her formative years. Its hard enough for teenagers without special needs to settle in Spain, so any added problems may become big problems???????? That said, its an adventure which can be learned from and fun!!?

Jo xxx

[Brangus]

Here in Albacete there is an organization called Asprona (___ASPRONA___Albacete) for people with intellectual disabilities. I did a little Googling and found another Asprona in Valencia (WWW.ASPRONA.ES), but didn't see one for Alicante. Perhaps you could make an inquiry (in Spanish) at one of the Asprona offices to see if there is something similar in Alicante, or search for "sindrome Down" + "Alicante."

As others have asked, is the language a concern?

Originally Posted by steve&michelle

We are looking to move to Spain within 30 km of Alicante airport in 2 to 4 years time but looking to buy a property sooner rather than later. We have a son with Downs Syndrome who is currently 14 years old, so would be approx 17/18 when we intend to move permanently. Would anyone know of any support or resource we can call upon to offer our son some form of social ineraction in Spain.