Children with Down Syndrome: Health Care Information for Families

These family-friendly guidelines, published last week, are based on the professional paper released by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2011:

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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has developed a special guide to help parents and families of children with Down syndrome. This document focuses on medical topics that affect physical health. Other issues can affect social and school success. While these issues may not require doctors or other medical resources, they are still important issues for children with Down syndrome.

Click here to download the complete guide, "Health Care Information for Families of Children with Down Syndrome" (PDF). 

The medical issues for a child with Down syndrome change with age. For this reason, the document is divided into several age groups (available as PDF downloads below). Each age group includes a list of issues that may be important to your child at that age.

The information in these guidelines has grown with the help of families, Down syndrome clinics, and doctors around the world. Most of the information is easy to follow. Many tests only need to be done once. Some areas might need to be looked at again, or even many times, as the child grows to an adult. Some tests or pediatric specialists might be needed that are not available in your area. Your doctor can help to sort out the best next steps when something can’t be done quickly or nearby.  Healthy Children (AAP website)