Meet Letty
Letty is 4 years old and attends our Farnham Pre-school, following in the steps of her sister Winnie who also attended. Letty has a rare genetic condition called PTEN, is non-speaking and has developmental delay, and is on the waiting list for an autism assessment. She is also tube-fed via a PEG. Mum Jade shared how attending the Pre-school has increased Letty’s confidence and wellbeing…
“For Letty, Challengers has been just as transformative. When she first started, she couldn’t walk and used a standing frame, but thanks to the incredible support of the staff team who have encouraged her to access the soft play and swings, she’s made incredible progress and is now walking. Her confidence has grown so much and she’s become more sociable. Letty loves coming and is never sad at drop-off. Instead she runs in – that says everything!
Feeding has always been one of our biggest challenges with Letty. Since moving to a different method of feeding, we were worried about how she’d manage in group settings. The Pre-school team feeds her in the sensory room, but they also support her to eat small things from her lunchbox alongside her friends – this means she’s still part of the social lunch experience and feels included.
As a family with two disabled children, having this support has been invaluable. It gives us a chance to catch our breath, to do things we just can’t do when the girls are with us. We’ve never had to worry because we know they’re in safe hands. When Winnie had a seizure while at Challengers, the way it was handled gave us complete confidence in the team’s training and care.
And beyond the day-to-day care, Challengers has helped us in ways we didn’t expect by supporting us with DLA form and pointing us toward services we didn’t know we were entitled to. Their knowledge and support have been a lifeline. We are so grateful.”