Whoopsadaisy

The ‘12+’ Programme

Whoopsadaisy is a small charity (Reg. No 1083024) based in Preston Park, Brighton that provides free, Conductive Education-based services to help children with physical disabilities reach their full potential.

The children at Whoopsadaisy have Cerebral Palsy, motor disorders, or global development delay, including cases associated with Down syndrome or of unknown origin. Many also face additional challenges, such as difficulties with vision, hearing, attention, coordination or balance. As a result, they may require support with essential daily activities such as eating, dressing, and toileting, whilst some rely on communication aids.

Conductive Education at Whoopsadaisy takes a holistic, active approach to learning, combining movement, cognition, and social development. CE encourages children to take an active role in their progress, through structured activities and problem-solving, helping them build independence and confidence. To provide the best support, Whoopsadaisy also integrates approaches such as Occupational Therapy into sessions.

Whoopsadaisy’s positive, supportive environment means children feel valued, empowered and more confident. They are better able to communicate and express themselves, and can participate more actively in life at home, at nursery or school, and in their communities. Over time, children gain skills and strategies they will use all their lives to tackle the challenges they face and live as independently as possible.

Under-fives attend weekly sessions in term-time, with a parent or carer. For 5 to 12-year-olds there are term-time sessions and Holiday Clubs where they can continue building their skills while their parents take a break, and we now offer a service for teenagers, too. It is this service for older children – those aged 12+ who have ‘graduated’ from our 5-12s service as well as those aged up to 18 who have just joined us - that The Community Trust is generously funding over a three-year period.

The first year of this programme has been a great success, with eight children benefitting overall, four of whom have attended every Tuesday after school, with others coming along to the half-termly outings.

The children help to design their own sessions, which focus on building self-esteem, confidence, resilience, and independent living skills. They also use the time to discuss challenges such as social interaction, fitting in at school and with their peers - and to share experiences, and socialise together.

The children enjoy a range of activities. For example, in art sessions they have lots of fun chatting, painting and making collages, working super hard on their fine motor skills in the process!

The ‘12+’ children have also been on some wonderful outings, including trips to the cinema and to go ice-skating, and to London for an art exhibition.

Here you can see one teenager working on his balance, independent walking and negotiating obstacles. This is helping him build his confidence when out of his comfort zone, in a busy environment or walking on uneven surfaces.

Please visit this link to watch video clips of their bowling trip.