Down Syndrome Program
Clinic Services Offered
The Down Syndrome Program at Children’s Hospital Boston offers many services for parents and children with Down syndrome. We can individualize our services for families as needed, but we wanted to share below the basic information of what to expect in our clinics and appointments.
ALL APPOINTMENTS TAKE PLACE ON FEGAN 10TH FLOOR
New Baby Appointments:
Families of newborns or young babies are welcome to come in on Thursday afternoons to meet with the Director, Dr. Emily Davidson. This is typically a one hour appointment where the doctor will review medical status, discuss development, and answer any questions families may have. We consider this an introductory visit prior to joining our Thursday morning clinic. Families will be given a date of their first Thursday morning clinic visit at the same time of setting up this New Baby appointment. We ask that families have their pediatrician fax newborn discharge summary reports, blood work results, and any other important information about their baby for us to prepare for the visit.
Thursday Morning Clinic:
We start seeing babies in our Thursday clinic around 8 to 9 months of age twice a year until the child turns 3 years old. In this setting, children are seen by a multidisciplinary team, which includes a developmental pediatrician, a physical therapist, a speech pathologist, a nutritionist, a dentist, and an audiologist. We offer hearing exams at each appointment. We also have the Program Coordinator and Resource Specialist guide families through their morning and provide information and resources as needed. Thursday clinic starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends around 12:30 p.m.
We ask that each family fill out a short form about services being received, resources, and medical history when they arrive to their clinic visit. After the visit, each clinician will send a report to your family and your pediatrician with a summary of the visit including recommendations and follow up suggestions.
Tuesday Afternoon Clinic:
We have an intake form that we require all families (new and past) to fill out prior to making an appointment in our program. This intake form serves as a guide for the doctor and provides us with current and thorough information about your child’s health, development, behavior, etc. By reviewing your intake ahead of time, our doctors will maximize your visit by focusing on the topics that concern you the most.
Children from ages 3 to 18 years old come on Tuesday afternoons to see our team. The Tuesday team consists of a visit with a clinical genetics fellow along with a developmental pediatrician, a visit with a nutritionist, and a visit with an audiologist for a hearing exam. We also have the Program Coordinator and Resource Specialist provide families with direction through their visit and resources or information as needed. Tuesday clinic appointments begin at either 1:00 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. After the visit, each clinician will send a report to your family and your pediatrician with a summary of the visit including recommendations and follow up suggestions.
Sometimes, a family will request additional visits to supplement their team visit. We can typically coordinate these depending on schedules and availability. Some examples of other appointments that we can add to the day are a visit with a physical therapist, ophthalmologist, orthopedist, and sometimes a dentist.
If you are interested in making an appointment, please follow the steps listed on our main page!
