Blooming Blossoms Trust

‘I sit at my desk, but the lessons fly over my head. In the garden I am ignored and lonely. I can’t wait to grow up and finish school. But who says it will be better then? Hannah G.

Life experiences have taught children like Hannah, struggling with learning disabilities to expect little and avoid trying new things to protect themselves from the disappointment of failing. Whether it’s persistent rejection on social scene because of difficulty understanding social cues, constant academic failure or sensory difficulties which makes daily functioning exhausting; that triggered this attitude, we see children walking through our door with a defeated look and crushed hopes and aspirations.

Blooming Blossoms has been established in 2007 to support and nurture learning disabled children and their families in North London. We work with a very special yet misunderstood group of children attending local mainstream schools that are determined to achieve yet inhibited by learning disabilities or emotional challenges, often compounded by poverty. Some of our users have diagnosed disabilities such as autism, social communication disorders, ADHD, dyspraxia and dyslexia. Others are affected by physical disabilities which impact their academic progress like poor motor skills or low muscle tone. The common denominator is that these children are miserable in school which means that the most beautiful prime years of their lives ‘feels like being stuck in a big bad prison`(Charlie, 9)

What we are doing: Our multi-disciplinary team of therapists, teachers, and volunteers employ a range of services and therapy modalities including Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language, Play therapy, art and drama therapy to help support children within the home, school and community environments.

Our therapy sessions take place at our Happy Haven Therapy Centre. We provide an initial assessment for each child referred, and once sessions are underway there are be regular feedback meetings with parents/carers. Children attend regular group and individual therapy sessions at Happy Haven. They are also assigned a volunteer who exercises therapy goals and helps implement therapy targets at home to maximise benefit.

Children are naturally curious. At Blossoms we nurture their love to learn. Our vision is that given a suitable climate and unique environment, every child can grow, like every seed can blossom. We empower every learning disabled child with appropriate tools so that they can learn, grow and thrive.