A charity which supports children with Down syndrome and their families is helping to transform the way the youngsters learn thanks to a donation of six iPads.

Downright Special in Padstow Close, Bransholme, received three iPads from Sargent Electrical Services in Beverley, bought a further two thanks to a grant from the Hull and East Riding Charitable Trust, and a sixth iPad thanks to a KC Community grant.

The modern technology, which cost about £2,000 in total, is a major investment in learning at the charity and is providing an engaging and interactive way of learning for children aged six months to 16 years old.

Downright Special meets every Friday during term time and the specialist teachers are able to download and create resources for the children to use, such as tracing letters on the screen and activities which require touching the correct answer to a question, or building sentences from groups of words.

Children with Down syndrome in mainstream primary and secondary schools are also benefiting, as representatives from the charity can advise schools on the best applications to download and use in the classroom, as well as demonstrate how they work on the new iPads.

Lisa Bentley, education consultant at Downright Special, whose son Isaac, nine, has Down syndrome, said: “Children with Down syndrome are visual learners and an iPad is a very visual medium for learning.

“It allows the children access to learning that traditional methods don’t because it bypasses a lot of their fine motor skill problems.

“From being babies onwards, they learn to use them and are motivated by them in a way that no other resource can achieve.

“It’s interactive. As soon as they touch it, they get a response from the screen.

“Also, in terms of the school curriculum, it’s allowing them access to phonics, numeracy and literacy, which they previously got very behind on.

“I can’t stress enough how much of a huge step forward this is.”

Downright Special offers a range of services for children with Down syndrome from birth and throughout their school years. 

This ranges from visiting new parents, or parents with an antenatal diagnosis, and running a sensory and signing group for babies, to providing specialist resource packs to schools and working closely with local health and education services to improve the care pathway and educational outcomes for the children.

Gillian Bowlas, chair of Downright Special, said the iPads are helping the charity to move forward with teaching techniques and make a positive difference to the way the youngsters learn and respond.

She said the charity is grateful for the corporate and community support to ensure the iPads could become a reality.

“We can tailor a lesson very quickly using the iPads,” said Gillian, whose daughter, Rachel, 10, also has Down syndrome.

“Having the support of local businesses and groups is invaluable and we can’t thank them enough for their support to make this happen.

“It will have huge benefits for our children and it’s also beneficial from a social aspect, as all their friends use iPads too and they can join in.”

The iPads are also proving cost effective for the charity, enabling savings on printing.

Louise Smith, 32, of north Hull, said using an iPad makes a great difference to her son, Tino Nielson-Smith, five, who attends Downright Special’s Friday group.

She said: “Tino likes the ‘See and Learn’ Down syndrome app and he seems more focused on an iPad than paper.

“It’s perhaps because of the colours and it’s more engaging.

“Using the iPads at Downright Special can only be a positive step for the children and Tino always shows an interest in it.”

Kelly Connolly, spokeswoman for Sargent Electrical Services, said the company was thrilled to be involved in supporting Downright Special.

She said: “As part of our community strategy, which we have developed alongside the Hull and East Yorkshire (HEY) Smile Foundation, we are delighted to be able to support innovation and the development of educational delivery at Downright Special.”

Downright Special has recently been named as one of two charities of the year for Hull Kingston Rovers and is also the nominated charity to benefit from the 2015 Humber Bridge Half Marathon on June 28.