Comprehensive Center for Down Syndrome
CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center today opened The Jane and Richard Thomas Center for Down Syndrome. The Center's services will include evaluation, treatment, research, and education making it perhaps the most comprehensive Down syndrome center in the nation.
The Center is named for Jane and Richard Thomas whose granddaughter, Emily Ann Hayes, was born in January 1995 with Down syndrome. Emily and her parents, Sally and Gary Hayes, have received services through the Down syndrome clinic since Emily was born.
"The goal of the Center is to provide the full continuum of care, including medical / developmental evaluations, comprehensive follow-up treatment, and clinical research to patients with Down syndrome and their families, eliminating the need to obtain services at multiple sites," says Bonnie Patterson, MD, program director of the Center. "A comprehensive center that includes clinical research under one roof can help children with Down syndrome have fuller, more productive lives."
The center, part of the Division of Developmental Disabilities at Cincinnati Children's, includes three major components:
- The Down Syndrome Clinic: Established in 1985, the clinic offers complete medical / developmental assessments by experts in pediatrics, speech / language pathology, nursing, social work, nutrition, psychology and special education. The evaluations provide information on monitoring healthcare, current levels of functioning, and recommendations for new or continued intervention.
- The Down Syndrome Treatment Center: This new center provides consultation and direct intervention in the areas of speech / language development, behavior management, nutrition, and educational placement. The staff works not only with children and their families but also with community professionals and agencies to create personalized treatment plans that maximize the potential of all individuals with Down syndrome. In-home services help with such issues as toileting, feeding problems, and sleep concerns. In addition, the Center, in collaboration with the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, educates parents, teachers, health care professionals, and the community about Down syndrome.
- Clinical Research: Jane and Richard Thomas established the Emily Ann Hayes Research Fund in 1996 to stimulate and support clinically relevant research involving children with Down syndrome. Today, Cincinnati Children's staff from such disciplines as developmental pediatrics, speech / language pathology, psychology, otolaryngology, audiology, gastroenterology, neurology, pulmonary medicine, and radiology conduct this research.
Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality associated with mental retardation. One of every 800 to 1,000 births -- about 5,000 a year -- is a child with Down syndrome. Down syndrome affects more than 350,000 people in the United States. The full potential of children with Down syndrome remains unknown, but researchers are learning more, including some at Cincinnati Children's.
For example, Sally Shott, MD, a physician in the Division of Otolaryngology, is in the third year of a five-year grant from the Emily Ann Hayes Research Fund. Dr. Shott is studying ear, sinus, and airway problems in children with Down syndrome to determine best treatment options and provide the best and most appropriate care for children with Down syndrome, many of whom develop chronic ear disease and hearing loss. Dr. Shott's research indicates a significant decrease in the incidence of hearing loss when aggressive treatment is given.
Contact Information
Jim Feuer, 513-636-4656,
jfeuer@chmcc.org
