Nursery World - A Unique Child: Inclusion

Supporting parents is a vital part of the care offered at Peter Pan Nursery, writes Sue Learner.

When you find your child has a disability, 'your life is torn apart' and 'you feel completely isolated,' says a mother whose child attended Peter Pan Nursery. The setting in Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffordshire, is one of just a handful of nurseries in the country caring only for children with special needs, from birth up to the age of five.

The children who attend Peter Pan Nursery have a wide range of disabilities, conditions and syndromes, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, visual and hearing impairments and speech and language delays (see box).

For this mother, it was Peter Pan Nursery that gave her the strength to carry on. Calling it 'a haven of care and support', she says, 'When the shock eventually wears off, you are able to feel again, and you realise that you have found an oasis in a wilderness of despair.'

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