How to Raise a Child With Down Syndrome: Advice and Resources

Find Good Doctors, Therapists, and Specialists

Children with Down syndrome have a different set of guidelines for routine tests, and a different set of growth charts. They benefit from regular appointments with specialists and therapists along with visits to a local pediatrician who can perform routine physicals and treat common illnesses.

Mary Pipan, M.D., Clinical Director of The Trisomy 21 Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, explains the difference it can make to have at least one visit with a developmental pediatrician who specializes in Down syndrome. "A pediatrician who sees many children with Down syndrome has the knowledge to evaluate what areas are important to cover specifically, and how various diagnoses are best evaluated and treated. General pediatricians do not usually have the time to be as thorough as needed, and most pediatricians have only a handful of patients in their practice with Down syndrome, so they don't have the breadth of experience acquired in a dedicated Trisomy 21 program."

The National Down Syndrome Society provides a link to the most up-to-date health care guidelines. In addition, many major children's hospitals have clinics devoted specifically to caring for children with Down syndrome.

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