| “My teenager attends the Saturday club provided by sensory soft play. We have so very limited options when it comes to special needs placement/respite of any kind – we are very grateful for this charity and what they do – it’s very much needed and my son absolutely loves it. Im a Mum with complex health needs so the respite is so very needed. The staff are really kind and caring and nurturing – thank you very much. “My son has Autism, SPD , PDA and ARFID. unfortunately he had a breakdown in school placement over 10 months ago as they could no longer meet his needs! Sensory soft play and respite sessions are amazing 🤩 we was feeling totally isolated and am so happy to finally find a lovely community of people that’s are supportive and welcoming! The staff are amazing and made us feel totally safe and comfortable! I’m forever grateful of this lovely little place ❤️ Thank you “ To whom it may concern My child has very specific learning needs which impact on his ability to manage his emotions. This can result in behaviour which can prove challenging. The SEN Sensory Play Saturday group, has proved an extremely valuable resource for his development. In main-stream environments, I find that our child is expected to ‘fit’ within the criteria and expectations of the group. He can-not always manage this as he views the world very differently to a neuro-typical child. However…… Sensory Soft Play operates using a very different approach. The Adult support aims to fit around the needs of the child ( not an easy task considering the range of differences and individual needs). Through using this service, our child has gained the confidence he needs to feel accepted by other children. He has also had to learn tolerance and the ability to embrace neuro-diversity in other children. He is learning to manage his sensitivity to a different environment and enjoy the company of other children, some of whom also experience heightened sensory awareness. I am grateful for the SEN Sensory Play experiences our son enjoys and appreciative of the opportunities to mix in a safe environment, where he can enjoy the company of other children with SEN and feel part of a group.” “Sensory Soft Play has made a huge improvement to the life of my son and our family. We moved to the area to support my widowed father and mother-in-law who both live locally. And in search of a better way of life, nearer the sea and countryside. We anticipated that finding a new school for our son (who has severe learning disabilities, is non-verbal and autistic) might not be straightforward but never imagined it would take 6 long, cold months. New to the town, with no friends or support network, our son had no other children to interact with. And we had no respite from caring. But then a glimmer of light. We discovered Sensory Soft Play. The Saturday Club gave our son the chance to play alongside other kids, boosting his communication skills, independence and self confidence. He is now happily settled at a special needs school and still attends the club on Saturdays and absolutely loves it – the highlight of his week. It also has provided us as parents with a few hours of respite. And also the chance to feel part of a community and befriend other parent carers. I now work as a nurse at the local GP surgery and regularly signpost to the club, I hope that others in need will benefit from the club, as we’ve done.” “My child has very specific learning needs which impact on his ability to manage his emotions. This can result in behaviour which can prove challenging. The SEN Sensory Play Saturday group, has proved an extremely valuable resource for his development. In main-stream environments, I find that our child is expected to ‘fit’ within the criteria and expectations of the group. He can-not always manage this as he views the world very differently to a neuro-typical child. However…… Sensory Soft Play operates using a very different approach. The Adult support aims to fit around the needs of the child ( not an easy task considering the range of differences and individual needs). Through using this service, our child has gained the confidence he needs to feel accepted by other children. He has also had to learn tolerance and the ability to embrace neuro-diversity in other children. He is learning to manage his sensitivity to a different environment and enjoy the company of other children, some of whom also experience heightened sensory awareness. I am grateful for the SEN Sensory Play experiences our son enjoys and appreciative of the opportunities to mix in a safe environment, where he can enjoy the company of other children with SEN and feel part of a group.” “My daughter has been attending the SAT Rest-Bite afternoon sessions for the past two years, and this support has become an essential part of both her life and our family’s wellbeing. Without this service, the impact on our family would be significant. Due to her age and other individual circumstances, this is the only appropriate and accessible support available to her in our local area.” “I wanted to say how much we appreciate what you do, and although we can only use sensoft occasionally, it makes all the difference to us. It is such a huge thing to know N has a place to go where she has fun and feels safe while we have some respite. We don’t have anything else that gives us that.” “My son attends the Saturday respite sessions at sensory soft play, he is 8 years old and has severe learning disabilities. They are the only short break provider in East Sussex (and local enough to us) that provide respite care for children such as our son. Whilst funding is distributed to other charities and organisations, none of them can meet the needs of my son. He cannot access what they offer. It is imperative that ESCC continue to help Sensory soft play facilitate the respite sessions. It is the only break we get, it is a life line. We need more organisations like this one, that will help care for our severely disabled children. They provide essential services, that without, could cause families to breakdown and children to become isolated. We are incredibly thankful for the wonderful work they do for the community and would be lost without them.” “My daughter, Olivia, is 13 and has been accessing Sensory Soft Play Club for over a year. The club provides structure and routine as well as opportunities to develop independence, autonomy and above all, opportunities for friendship. Most children can access sports, music, drama classes at weekends but these are not accessible for my daughter and other children with autism and learning disabilities. This is the ONLY club available for our children locally and yet it is constantly under threat due to funding. Not only does the club provide all these amazing opportunities for Olivia, it also provides all important respite for us, so we can spend some time with our son and do things with him that many families take for granted, like eating out or playing sport. I cannot begin to express how invaluable this service is to us, my daughter and the many other families that access it.” |