WHAT do you do when your youngster is teased and tormented by other children for being different? PAULINE HAWKINS meets a couple who helped their son, and other children, to feel part of a group.
ROBERT Howarth is a boisterous five-year-old with a beaming smile and, in common with lots of children his age, likes Bob the Builder and riding his tricycle.
But he can become withdrawn, angry and sometimes violent because of a condition called dyspraxia, which means he has difficulty socialising in a similar way to people with cerebral palsy and Down's Syndrome.
A delay in messages travelling from his brain to his body means he lacks hand-eye co-ordination and has difficulty writing, drawing and catching.
His parents, Bob and Wendy Howarth, prefer that he doesn't take part in school sports days because of the co-ordination problems and his muscles often ache if he walks too far.
He cannot stand on one leg for too long, cannot hop and cannot cut paper with scissors like other children his age.
As his father says, years ago he would have been made to stand in a corner with a dunce's hat on.
Wendy, 41, and Bob, 43, knew there was something wrong with the youngster from an early age. He was born by emergency caesarean section and from the age of nine weeks suffered from convulsions. They liaised with Dr Karl Rakshi, consultant paediatrician at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn, and Dr Sheran Perera, consultant paediatrician at the town's Montague Health Centre, who between them diagnosed dyspraxia -- formerly known as "clumsy child syndrome". The Dyspraxia Foundation says the condition is caused by an immaturity in the development of the brain and research is going on to establish the exact cause.
Wendy, of Newton Street, Blackburn, said: "We asked Dr Perera if there were any groups to support Robert with his people skills and socialising. There was one in Hyndburn, but there was a waiting list, so Bob and I had a chat and decided to set up our own group."
As a result GLAD (Group Learning Activities for the Disabled) -- a name thought up by Wendy's daughter from a previous marriage, Lindsay Reynolds -- was born. Launched last year at the Daisyfield Community Centre in Blackburn with a handful of youngsters, it now has 27 children on its register.
The Friday night fun sessions are a chance for children who would not normally be inclined to let off steam to enjoy themselves. Robert, a pupil at the mainstream St Thomas's school in Blackburn, does not eat or sleep very well, often getting out of bed several times in the night. He is still full of energy at times but his muscles often ache, so a Friday evening session allows him the weekend to recover.
Wendy said: "Children with dyspraxia, Down's Syndrome and cerebral palsy often find they are excluded and they feel hurt and upset. A lot of children get tormented. Robert took a three-wheeler bike to school and was laughed at, but he has muscular problems."
Thanks to donations from organisations including Space Living, Morrisons, Ovalworld of Little Harwood and the Imperial Home Decor Group of Darwen, GLAD has bought toys and learning aids for the youngsters to enjoy on a weekly basis. It has also benefited from Government SRB5 (Single Regeneration Budget) funding, but first needs cash in the coffers in order to buy items and claim the money back later.
GLAD now meets at the Stansfeld Street learning centre, Blackburn, on Fridays from 6pm to 7.30pm. The children who attend have various learning disabilities and are generally aged from four to 11, although youngsters reaching the age of 12 and who want to stay on and continue to join in the fun can do so. Sessions are £1.50 per child with a drink, biscuits and a treat when they leave. Parents can stay, have a coffee and chat or leave the youngsters in the volunteers' care. Wendy said: "We do all sorts of activities -- football, basketball, skittles, Velcro darts, aqua-play and Lindsay organises arts and crafts.
"As a disabled group we are always using lots of paper, so if anyone has any spare paper, please send it this way."
The group has a number of volunteers -- as well as Wendy, Bob and Lindsay and Wendy's sons Christopher, 14, and Damien, 19, there is help from Lindsay's friend Claire Sumner, parent Christopher Archer and first aider Keeley Holden. Bob and Wendy are also now qualified first aiders.
Pre-teacher students from Blackburn College also help out, with 14 on the books and five attending on a regular basis. But new volunteers, especially men, are invited to join in.
Wendy is grateful to everyone who has contributed towards the success of the group and said: "If we help one child it has been a Godsend."
And Bob added: "This is a group where nobody gets laughed at."
GLAD is also starting a weekly summer fun session starting on Wednesday, July 25, from 10am to 11.45am at St Thomas's with St Jude's Church.
Anyone who would like to know more about GLAD, would like to volunteer to help during the Friday evening play sessions or who can offer financial help, paper or car boot sale items can contact the Howarths on 01254 673338.
Anyone who wants more information about dyspraxia should contact the Dyspraxia Foundation, based in Hitchen, Hertfordshire, on 01462 454986.
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