Moira Horrocks is convinced that when the geniuses at Apple invented their iPad, they had her three-year-old son, Ritchie, in mind. Because he has a shortened forearm and tiny fingers, he is unable to use a traditional computer keyboard.

Karen Thompson is arguably the first parent to turn the tables on the Teddy Bear Foundation – in the nicest possible way. We provided funding for her eight-year-old son, Mark, who suffers from cerebral palsy and some breathing difficulties.

Sarah Elsby knew she was on the right track with the iPad when her son picked up a toy train and said “Choo Choo” for the first time. Three-year-old Mason suffers from Autism and Hyper Mobility and before he started working with computers, his family had barely heard him speak.

Tracy Hadlow's emotions have been through the wringer – constantly worrying about her daughter Ariana running away from home. The seven-year-old was recently diagnosed as Autistic. At her mainstream school, she began running away and was once found standing next to a busy road.

Instead, Glasgow company Indepen-Dance wrote to the Teddy Bear Foundation and asked for just over £500 to buy a set of matching T-shirts and hoodies. Now, when they take to the stage of the city's Theatre Royal for the "Go Dance" Festival in February 2012, the 25 young performers will be looking their best in their new purple kit, complete with their own unique logo on the back.

Single mum Janet Nisbet performs daily miracles by looking after her twin Down's Syndrome boys, Joshua and Joseph.
She also manages to hold down a part-time job at Primark as well (in her spare time).
But her domestic chores became a real grind when her old washing machine got more and more temperamental.

The school was planning a Spring week of adventure in the Scottish countryside but there was a shortfall in the amount of money needed to take part.

A cheque for £1080 was enough to ensure all 13 pupils would have a memorable time.

Parents of children with additional support needs often say they learn more from other parents than they do from health care professionals.

Mums and dads can become isolated, starved of vital information or services that could help make their child’s life more tolerable.

Now, the Teddy Bear Foundation has agreed to provide the £1500 funding for a Parents Event in Stirling later this year.

Few little boys deserve a lucky break more than two-year-old Cole Macleod.

The young lad has had a rough time of it, ever since he was born. He was quickly diagnosed with breathing difficulties and had to have a tracheostomy fitted to his throat at just 17 days old.
His surgeon said he was amazed he had survived that long. But that was not then end of his troubles. Medics found he had a narrowing of the windpipe, which led to him spending the first seven months of his life in hospital.

Fraser Kelly has been making good use of the computer bought for him by the Teddy Bear Foundation.

A number of difficulties suffered by the 12-year-old meant that he struggled with his handwriting and found his wrist tired after a short period of time.

As a result, his mum felt he wasn’t exploiting his full potential at Balfron High School in Stirlingshire.

It has only been on the market less than two years – but the Apple iPad is continuing to stun special needs educationalists with its possibilities.

Ruth Glynne-Owen, who works with children who have communication difficulties, says “exciting” discoveries are being made on a daily basis.

For example, her Stirling-based charity called Speur-Ghlan (Gaelic for Cloudless Heavens) is working with one two-year-old whose parents had been told had significant learning difficulties.

The first eight months of Mackenzie Hay’s young life were spent in hospital.

He suffers from a very rare condition called Moebius syndrome. It means he has a number of fingers missing, abnormalities in his facial muscles and a very short bowel.

In time, he will need an operation just to let him smile. His community nurse contacted the Teddy Bear Foundation to see if we could help bring some cheer into his life.

Little Josh Donaldson may have loved the outdoors but mum Lynda could not let him out of her sight.

Playmates of the six-year-old realised that the boy was “different” and soon began picking on him near his home in Livingston.

Mum, Lynda, took him away on a camping trip – and opened up a whole new world to her Autistic son.

Liz Mackenzie was “ecstatic” when she discovered the Teddy Bear Foundation had agreed to transform her giant garden in Livingston.

The mother-of-five has particular concerns for her 15-year-old son, Alistair and eight-year-old daughter, Katie.

Alistair suffers from severe Autism. After being bullied, he has been reluctant to leave the family home and Liz feels he is not getting enough fresh air.

Amanda Murphy spends a lot of time in her car, regularly ferrying one-year-old son Ruairidh to vital hospital appointments. The lad suffers from the rare West Syndrome, a condition which impairs a child’s development and appears in just 15 Scottish births a year.

West Syndrome manifests itself in the form of multiple epileptic seizures, sometimes up to 200 per day. Hospital trips were often uncomfortable experiences for both mother and son. Ruairidh’s head would slump to the left in his car seat and Amanda would struggle to concentrate on the road because her baby would scream and scream in his discomfort.