AFASIC is a charity based in the City of London dedicated to helping young people who have difficulty with speech, their parents and carers. The charity has received a £5,000 donation from London Freemasons Charity.

Mark Thompson, Head of Funding and Support Services explained that Speech, language and communication requires a number of different skills. Some children fail to properly develop these skills for a variety of reasons and some don’t understand how conversation works. The Charity offers information, support and advice to parents and carers. In addition, a part-time helpline is available and regular training events are held for the young people.

Mark continued to explain that at school those young people with speech and language difficulties find it hard to understand and to be understood, thereby impacting on their development and future job prospects. Also making friends can be difficult resulting in them feeling lonely and unhappy. In other cases, the young person can hear the words spoken but their brain cannot properly process them into meaningful information. Clearly these types of symptoms impact on their self confidence.

A difficult time for the young people is when they move from Primary to Secondary School. Part of the work carried out by the Charity involves holding an intensive week long summer course for the young people prior to their starting Secondary school. The Charity works to reduce the young peoples isolation, build their self-esteem and develop their potential.