Our kids
We support over 200 families throughout New Zealand - about one fifth of the total number of children with Down syndrome in the country. Down syndrome can occur in any family, and our kids come from every part of Aotearoa from Northland to Southland, from all different ethnicities and backgrounds, and are aged anywhere from newborn to late teens.
The communication journey for a child with Down syndrome is a long one, and that’s why, once a child is taken off our waitlist, we are committed to supporting them until they are 21 years old, even if they are only a baby when they apply - or maybe not even born yet!
Some of our members have been supported by the Trust for over 15 years, and we just love staying connected to our whānau! Check out the video of Miles to the right to learn more.
What families are saying
The Mikkelsen Family
“Thanks once again for your amazing assistance! Anders is continuing to make good progress with his speech development. We are convinced this would not be occurring without his access to a private speech language therapist. We no longer have access to any publicly funded speech language therapy, so this assistance is very gratefully received.”
Yma
“Speech is our main concern with Yma. Speech means communicating, speech means social life. It means learning, education, and self-expression. Therefore, UpsideDowns’ contribution is essential. With your help, Yma has access to regular speech therapy sessions which improve her speech. We are very grateful.”
Lachie
“Lachie has a lot to say! He loves to talk about his favourite things - books, trains, and the beach. Speech language therapy has helped Lachie to learn a variety of communication tools - speech, signing, and visuals - to express himself. Thanks for the ongoing support UpsideDowns!”
The Simonlehner Family
“It’s fantastic that something like UpsideDowns exists because we know that speech is one of the main things these children [with Down syndrome] need to be a part of society.”