Customer Reviews

Medical & Surgical Care for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents (Topics in Down Syndrome)

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I found this book in the library of my son's early intervention office. Everything I have encountered with him, I was able to find in the book. It even talked about the delay of the emergence of his primary teeth. I wish I had known of its existence sooner. A must have for parents, grandparents, doctors and other caregivers!

We purchased this book when our 2 day old son was in the hospital for heart problems and diagnosed with Down Syndrome. The book is full of important information for parents and doctors and is written in a language that parents can understand. In the past three years, we have used this book many times to answer questions, learn what to look for, and to train ourselves in how to handle certain medical conditions. Knowledge is power.

Children with Down Syndrome are at increased risk for many medical problems. As a parent, it is important to understand these risks, be able to recognize potential problems, and also become familiar with many of the medical specialists you will encounter even if your child is healthy. This book discusses all of the common medical problems you may be faced with in a way that can be understood by a parent. Armed with the information in this book, a parent will be able to make vital decisions regarding their child's health and cope more comfortably if medical care is required. Topics discussed include: heart disease, endocrine problems, skin conditions, gastrointestinal problems, and many others.

I admittedly glanced through this book that I've had sitting on my bookshelf for a while. I got it when I was a parent liaison for new parents of children with DS. My own daughter is six years old with Down Syndrome and Autism. I think that a lot of the book is good for children with medical issues that can be corrected with surgical and mainstream medical procedures and pharmaceuticals. However the section on Alternative Treatments and Autism was very pathetic and not helpful. The overall theme of these two sections were that (1) none of the therapies other than growth hormone were beneficial and proven and that (2) getting an Autism diagnosis wouldn't change anything that parents were doing and that it could even be harmful by giving parents less hope in a good prognosis for their children. Well as a parent with an Autistic child with Down Syndrome, everything has changed with that diagnosis. Knowing that my child has Autism has opened up my world to new treatments and therapies that I never knew existed when my child "only had DS." Also, teachers, even though they mean well, have blinders on and sometimes don't look at the individual child in order to teach them. That Autism diagnosis placed my daughter in a more appropriate class for her where she is doing really well. There are many therapies out there now for Autism: ABA, Sonrise, RDI, DIR/Floortime, and many more that also are used for DS and other disabilities. I NEVER heard about these when I didn't research Autism. The usual grouping of Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy was not working, and these are the core therapies for DS.
As far as Alternative Therapies, do your research and check out the science for yourself. Google Einstein Syndrome, Changing Minds Foundation (for DS) and go to [...], the Autism Society of America and [...] for information on Autism. There is a yahoo group for DS-ASD and a biomedical treatment one for those who want to go the alternative route. That one is DSA of Louisville.