A dramatic turn in their lives

Classes give young adults with Down syndrome the chance to build confidence

EVERY SATURDAY afternoon in Stillorgan, Dublin, a class of 23 young adults with Down syndrome and other learning challenges get to playact, dance and sing in the speech and drama class run by Emer Halpenny and Angela Devine.

This is an add-on to Halpenny’s usual speech and drama classes at the community centre. The other classes refer to them as “the famous class”. While it’s great fun, the students take it seriously and they do the same types of things that you normally find in a theatrical arts class.

Halpenny believes the class builds confidence in the students. “A lot of people with Down syndrome simply nod yes or no in answer to a question, so we try to get them to say full sentences.”

Achievements are individual and while some will recite a poem, for others getting one full sentence out is their success. “Making eye contact can be difficult for them, so we get them practising this in class.”

The interaction helps the students with holding their heads up, making eye contact and controlling their tongue, which can sometimes be a difficulty for people with Down syndrome.

The more stimulated the participants, the better, according to Halpenny, so she does lots of physical activity with them as well as speech exercises. “They do mime and they love movement to music and dance.”

The class is structured and works to a format. They might start with a news topic and everyone is encouraged to speak clearly. “It’s tailored to each person’s needs and the earlier we get them the better.”

However, she has had trouble setting up a class for younger special needs children. “I get great support from St Michael’s House and Cheeverstown, but there may be a wide range of capabilities and I think parents often don’t want to face up to their child’s level of ability. They want a tailor-made class immediately, but these groups take time to build.”

Some of her young adults work on particular sounds they may have difficulty with. They do their speech exercises in small groups of three and these are often crafted Harry Potter spells. “A pencil is transformed into a wand that magically locks and unlocks a door.”

Making an F sound can be a struggle for some, while others will need help with stammers. In class they are able to discuss their difficulties with sounds.

The students often encounter people who don’t know how to respond when they meet someone with Down syndrome and the drama helps them with social interaction.

“There is a normality to the class and they expect people to treat them normally,” Halpenny believes. “Some people are patronising in the way they talk to people with special needs, so what I say to them is to let your own personality shine through.”

Shelagh Ring, whose daughter Ailish is 26, says: “It is just what she does on a Saturday when her brothers and sisters are out doing whatever they do, like rugby. The class has really helped with her co-ordination, confidence and speech.”

Another mother, Helen Whelan, says her daughter Ellie (21) loves music, mime and performance and is upfront about enjoying praise. “With these kids there is no hidden agenda.”

Denise O’Leary’s daughter Fiodhna (16) has been going to the class for a few years now. “It just spread by word of mouth and people travel from far and wide to get to it. Most of these kids don’t have other outside opportunities, and Fiodhna loves the music and the dancing.”

Music is where these students shine, according to Halpenny. “They can be a little mollycoddled at home and sometimes they get quite tired, but as soon as the music and dancing gets going they are all up for the warm up.”

Rory, who is 19, has a hearing problem but that doesn't stop him performing. His favourite role is playing Troy in High School Musical. Jane (20) loves playing opposite him as Gabrielle, according to her mother Frances Langan.

Rory’s mother, Sheila Rainey, says it’s a place for them to work out their dreams and fantasies in a safe environment. “What he is very big on is that there are no mums and dads at the class. There is a fine line that can’t be crossed.”

The parents get almost as much out of the class as their children. Indeed, it was they who asked Halpenny to set up the class initially. Having a sister with Down syndrome herself, Halpenny had the confidence to do it.

“Many others would be afraid of doing a class and getting it wrong,” says Rainey. “Most of these special needs students don’t have behaviour problems. They are secure within their environment, but they still want to do the things all teenagers do.”

Because the parents can’t stay in the class they frequently end up in a nearby pub for coffee and have become friends and a great support for each other as a result. “You might have had a crap week and then you talk to other parents who say, ‘Oh that happened to me’, and then you know you’re not on your own,” says Rainey.

Whelan says that, as the kids are different ages and at different stages, parents can advise each other based on their experience. “Someone might tell you to cop on to yourself.”