Precedents   Current studies and research have demonstrated that children with Down Syndrome who grow up in a loving, stimulating family environment, with an overall education adapted to their special needs, can achieve a level of functioning that allows them to lead a productive life fully integrated into society.

1. How did the Clinic begin?

The John Langdon Down Foundation’s Down Syndrome Clinic arose from the urgent need to offer children, youths and adults with Down Syndrome specialized medical, psychological and educational services attending to the problems and illnesses that these people suffer from most frequently.

2. What is its mission?

The mission of the John Langdon Down Foundation’s Down Syndrome Clinic is to foster the optimal development and overall health of people with Down Syndrome in order to improve their quality of life and that of their families. For this reason, it provides quality medical, psychological and pedagogic attention with a multidisciplinary approach, in keeping with each individual’s specific needs.

3. What are its goals?

• Offering quality medical care, focused on prevention, through a Healthcare Program based on the Health Guide for people with Down Syndrome.
• Providing counseling and psychological support, and thus fostering the emotional wellbeing of all the family’s members.
• Offering pedagogic guidance adapted to each student’s educational needs.
• Fostering, promoting and developing serious research that adds to our knowledge and finds solutions to the health problems that people with Down Syndrome most frequently face.
• Promoting care programs that involve preventing and treating the health problems of people with Down Syndrome.
• Offering updated information about Down Syndrome and related issues to parents, professionals and the general population.
• Providing a frame of reference for the creation of statistics, studies and research on the issue of Down Syndrome.

4. How is it organized?

The John Langdon Down Foundation’s Down Syndrome Clinic is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of health professionals from various fields; they are grouped under the following departments:

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Pedagogy

The Clinic also has contact with other sources of support complementing the attention it provides.

Network of specialists. Doctors specialized in different fields of medicine, such as: pediatrics, cardiology, internal medicine, endocrinology, orthopedics, neurology, psychiatry, ophthalmology, surgery, audiology, dentistry, dermatology, etc.

Network of laboratories. The network provides clinical laboratory services as well as consultations, with discounts to patients referred by the Clinic.

Note: the Clinic does not cover the costs of consultations, examinations or clinical tests, nor is it responsible for agreements made between families and the network’s specialists.

5. Services provided

The John Langdon Down Foundation’s Down Syndrome Clinic provides services to the Foundation’s students, but is also open to people with Down Syndrome coming from anywhere within Mexico or abroad.

Initial evaluation

Provided to first time users of the clinic. The initial evaluation covers the following fields:
• Evaluation of the patient’s general state of health and of level of education
• Evaluation of special education needs
• Psychological counseling

Continuing evaluation

Families who wish to follow the Clinic’s healthcare program after the initial evaluation will be interviewed by a social worker, and the costs of further consultations and studies carried out at the Clinic will be determined according to their means.

The Clinic offers the following services on a permanent basis:
• Periodical evaluations of the patient’s state of health and follow-up care.
• Monitoring of growth and development according to charts for people with DS.
• Early diagnosis of illnesses and complications common in people with DS.
• Genetic screening for other family members who may require it.
• Cardiological examination for the detection and treatment of heart disease.
• Early detection of hyperthyroidism.
• Vaccination.
• Eye examination for the early diagnosis and treatment of problems associated with vision.
• Ear examination for the diagnosis and treatment of hearing problems that might hinder the acquisition of language skills.
• Permanent psychological evaluation, counseling and support.

The care the clinic offers requires periodical follow-ups, performed on an out-patient basis; it should therefore be considered as complementary to the healthcare services that the patient receives in his or her place of residence.

Note: For consultations at the Clinic, patients must be accompanied by a parent, relative or tutor.