The SEND Mum Club

I couldn’t not speak on this subject as it’s sparked conversations and judgements that have been extremely hurtful to the Down syndrome community. Not the choice the couple made, but they statement they released and the meaning behind it.

My friend Sam Ofoegbu is my guest this week, talking about her little boy Theo who’s 4. Theo has Down syndrome and needed heart surgery after he was born. He is also on the ASD pathway. We discuss parenting a child with additional needs without a partner, how Sam coped with Theo’s surgery, why she is making the decision to home educate and what she thinks that will look like for them.

Dora Garcia joins me on this episode to chat about her 9 year old son Matteo who has Autism and ADHD. We discuss Dora being in denial before the diagnosis and how she feels perceptions changed after it. We talk about the importance of taking pockets of time for yourself to recharge and making sure you prioritise what’s actually important rather than trying to do everything.
Dora discusses how she travels all over the world with Matteo as a single mum and what she’s put in place to make sure it goes as well as possible. 
 You can follow Dora on Instagram @thetravelholicmum

Amelia Christie is my guest this week, talking about her 5 year old son Oliver who has congenital heart disease, cerebral palsy, global development delay and is tube fed. We talk about how Amelia coped with lengthy stays in hospital for Oliver’s surgeries, lessons she learned and things she’s now put in place to make hospital stays slightly easier.
 We talk about the importance of self-care while your child is ill but how hard that is to actually put into practice, and ways in which friends and family can support you.
 Amelia also talks about an amazing experience Oliver has just had being named the honorary 35th runner in the 2026 Grand National.
 You can find Amelia on Instagram @oliver_chdbaby

In this episode I talk to Christian Laing – co-founder of Stand Out Socks – about what life was like growing up with a sibling with Down syndrome. We discuss how that impacted Christian’s upbringing, how involved Ross was (and is) with Christian’s friends, and what Christian’s thoughts are now looking back as an adult.
 
Christian, Ross & Christian’s partner Natalie founded Stand Out Socks (you may have seen them on Dragon’s Den) because Ross was struggling to find paid employment. Christian talks about how many people with additional needs end up working for free, or even paying to work and why it’s so important that changes. All the people that work at Stand Out Socks have Down syndrome and all of them are paid for every hour they work. I was absolutely shocked to learn how rare that is.
 
You can shop the socks and find out more at www.standoutsocks.co.uk and follow them on Instagram @standoutsocksuk