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Child development and growing up for additional needs

Downs syndrome child mouthing plastic cups Boy In A Specialist Chair Playing With Plastic Spikey Massage Ball Boy with cerebral palsy with their family. The boy and family are smiling and clapping A child smiling with her eyes closed. She's wearing a pink dress with her arms raised above her head gracefully.

We are developing the information in this section and encourage families to get involved.

Toddler sitting on the floor in a playroom playing with wooden toys

Children develop in lots of different ways. Each child is unique and will develop at their own pace so it is often unhelpful to compare a child with their siblings or peer group. Take a look at our general advice pages for more information on child development and growing up.

Mother and baby on floor with soft fabric ball. Baby is laying on their stomach on a rug, in a living room.

Early intervention

Babies learn from every experience they have in a 24 hour period. Every moment is important for babies to adapt and learn. You can help your baby by varying the positions they are in. This will give them lots of different experiences to learn from.

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Child sitting at a table drawing

Sitting position and posture

Some children and young people can find sitting on a chair hard. Learn about how to create the set up for your child to sit comfortably and for longer. This includes information about helpful equipment that can help your child's sitting posture.

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Whole Person Approach Graphic Listing Block

A whole person approach

The whole person approach is also known as a holistic approach. This is when you view every aspect of your child or young person's care as equal. Different elements of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing will affect other areas. For example, poor sleep habits can affect mood which can affect how they feel about themselves.

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Down's syndrome child and parent laughing and sitting on picnic blanket in autumn with leaves around them.

Early development for children with Down's syndrome

Down's syndrome is a genetic condition that results in some level of learning disability and a particular range of physical characteristics. Children with down's syndrome are all individuals. This means that each child's health and development will vary widely.

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Child with Downs syndrome wearing glasses smiling. He is sitting on green chair with arms crossed.

Eye care for children with Down's syndrome

Certain eye conditions are more common in children with Down's syndrome. Learn more about these eye concerns, eye tests and eye clinics for children with Down's syndrome.

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Young boy wearing glasses, kneeling on the floor playing with wooden toys.

Common eye concerns

Read about how the shape of your eyes can impact your vision. Learn about astigmatism, long-sightedness and short-sightedness.

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boy in orange long sleeve t-shirt and denim jacket admiring himself in the mirror at an opticians as he tries out new glasses

Parents guide to glasses

Find information and advice on how to get glasses for your child or young person, where to get them from and the potential costs. Read more about where repaired or replacing your child or young person's glasses if they get damaged, broken or lost.

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