ASSERT

P O Box 13694
Musselburgh
EH21 6XZ

Tel: 01268 415 940
Web: www.angelmanuk.org
Best time to telephone: Both numbers: 24 hours, 7 days a week.

ASSERT is the Angelman Syndrome Support Education and Research Trust, an organisation founded for the benefit of families affected by this little known, and probably under-diagnosed, condition. Angelman syndrome (AS) is a chromosome disorder that causes severe learning difficulties. Those affected have a normal life expectancy but require looking after throughout their lives due to the nature of their difficulties, which include communication and mobility problems, and epilepsy. On the positive side, some children are learning to communicate with sign language and current research shows that both treatment and prevention may eventually be achievable. ASSERT offers the following services and activities:

• Produces a regular newsletter.
• Provides an information pack for doctors to give families of those newly diagnosed with AS.
• Maintains a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week telephone support line.
• Has forged links with similar AS organisations overseas.
• Holds regional meetings in different locations throughout the year.
• Maintains a national register of families indicating those willing to be a point of contact for families of those newly diagnosed with AS.
• Funds research into AS.
• Raises public awareness of AS by use of the media.
• Provides an information pack for professionals (doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers, social workers etc).