The Adult Down Syndrome Center is a health care clinic for adolescents and adults with Down syndrome in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Established in 1992, the Adult Down Syndrome Center was the first and remains one of the largest clinics for adolescents and adults with Down syndrome in the United States. Part of Advocate Health Care, it is located on the campus of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. The Adult Down Syndrome Center and its providers are nationally recognized for their expertise in providing healthcare for adolescents and adults with Down syndrome. They have received awards from many organizations including the National Down Syndrome Congress, Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group, and the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. The physicians at the Center – Brian Chicoine, MD and Erin Dominiak, MD – have been recognized as Top Doctors by Chicago Magazine and Castle Connolly. The Center engages in patient-centered research and clinical trials. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded the Center along with the University of Chicago an INCLUDE project grant. The Center was also selected as one of four Center of Excellence Sites for the Down Syndrome Clinical Trials Network launched by LuMind IDSC Foundation. The Center is also committed to sharing its knowledge and experience with others. The Center’s co-founders Brian Chicoine, MD and Dennis McGuire, PhD have published two books – Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome: A Guide to Emotional and Behavioral Strengths and Challenges and The Guide to Good Health for Teens and Adults with Down Syndrome. Staff at the Center frequently present at local and national events including the National Down Syndrome Congress Convention and the National Down Syndrome Society Adult Summit. Information is also shared in an extensive online Resource Library that covers a broad range of physical and psychosocial health topics (https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com). We help people with Down syndrome live well. To help support our mission, please visit: https://advocategiving.org/adsc/
12/13/2025
Today's resource spotlight is a guidebook on Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome developed by the National Down Syndrome Society, in partnership with the National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices and the Alzheimer's Association. It contains a wealth of information to support individuals with Down syndrome and their caregivers.
Topics include:
▪ the connection between Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease
▪ screening and diagnosis
▪ stages and progression
▪ planning meaningful daily activities for individuals with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease
▪ care for the caregiver
▪ and many more.
💧Many adults with Down syndrome we see at our clinic do not drink enough fluids. It is important to stay hydrated throughout the year, even during the colder winter months. If colder temperatures make it more challenging to drink water, consider having:
🍵 hot tea,
🍋 warm water with lemon,
🍲 broth-based soups, and/or
🍎 fruits and vegetables.
🦴 Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become more brittle and prone to breaking. Anyone can develop this condition, but women are more likely to. Osteoporosis has also been reported to be more common in people with Down syndrome.
However, there is a lack of data on accurate diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in people with Down syndrome. In particular, there are limited studies evaluating DEXA scans, a type of x-ray used to diagnose osteoporosis, in people with Down syndrome. Additionally, there is a growing body of literature suggesting that DEXA scans inaccurately estimate bone density in people of shorter stature, which would include many adults with Down syndrome.
Conflicts inevitably arise from time to time in our relationships with friends, family members, romantic partners, colleagues, and other people in our lives. There are several skills that are helpful for managing conflicts successfully. They include:
😌 calming down
💬 communicating in a clear and respectful manner
🤝 compromising
🛑 setting boundaries
Our online library has several resources to help individuals with Down syndrome learn about and develop skills for managing conflicts. They are available for free at the link below!
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/managing-conflict/
12/09/2025
We strongly encourage adolescents and adults with Down syndrome who come to our clinic to exercise and be active. A common recommendation is to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week. These levels of moderate and vigorous exercise are defined as percentages of a person's maximum heart rate.
Many people with Down syndrome have lower resting and maximum heart rates, which means they also have lower target heart rates for moderate and vigorous exercise. This is important to consider when supporting people with Down syndrome in setting feasible and beneficial exercise goals. Brian Chicoine, MD, shares additional information in the article linked below.
Fainting (syncope) is a brief loss of consciousness. It may be more common in people with Down syndrome because of differences in their autonomic nervous systems. There are also several health conditions that are more common in people with Down syndrome that can contribute to fainting.
After a fainting episode, an individual should be assessed by a health care professional. In the article linked below, Brian Chicoine, MD, shares more information about fainting in people with Down syndrome including how to diagnose and treat causes of fainting.
Do you have questions about how to support an individual with Down syndrome in becoming more independent with personal hygiene tasks?
Check out the recording of our webinar featuring Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L, occupational therapist at the Adult Down Syndrome Center. Katie shares tips and strategies for a wide variety of tasks including:
🚽 toilet hygiene
🛁 bathing/showering
🦷 brushing teeth
🧴 caring for skin and nails
➕ and more!
We use the phrase "appropriate touch" to refer to knowing who we can hug, kiss, shake hands with, fist bump, wave at, etc. The forms of touch that are appropriate to share with someone often depend on the type of relationship we have with that person. Our Resource Library has a video and visual on appropriate touch that feature several individuals with Down syndrome and describe the types of touch we can share with:
▪ family
▪ friends
▪ boyfriends and girlfriends
▪ people we do not know well
▪ children not in our family
▪ safe strangers (e.g., police officers, firefighters, etc.)
▪ other strangers
We encourage adolescents and adults with Down syndrome who participate in our social skills groups to talk to their families about this topic because some families have different rules or boundaries for touch. The video and visual are available at this link: https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/appropriate-touch-video/
12/05/2025
Fatigue is a common symptom for people with and without Down syndrome. It involves feelings of extreme tiredness and lack of energy. Lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep, hydration, and stress can contribute.
Fatigue can also be a symptom of some health conditions. Several of these health conditions that can cause fatigue such as sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, and celiac disease, among others, are more common in people with Down syndrome. A health care professional can make an assessment to identify possible causes of fatigue and develop a treatment plan. See the link below for an article on fatigue by Brian Chicoine, MD.
Staff at group homes or day programs of people with Down syndrome often become like family. People with Down syndrome may experience strong feelings of grief and loss when a staff member leaves their job. Our Resource Library has a visual story that explains:
➡ why staff members may leave their job,
➡ how we might feel, and
➡ how to cope with the change
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are infections of the urethra, bladder, ureters, and/or kidneys. Symptoms may include:
▪ pain when urinating
▪ fever
▪ blood in the urine
▪ a frequent urge to urinate
▪ strong-smelling urine
▪ and others
Not emptying the bladder and constipation, which are more common in people with Down syndrome, are risk factors for UTIs. There are strategies that can be used to prevent and treat UTIs. More information is provided in our Resource Library. See the article linked below.
All people with Down syndrome are worthy and deserving of comprehensive and compassionate health care. Sadly, many adults with Down syndrome struggle to find health care professionals who are knowledgeable about their unique health needs. A study published by Santoro et al. in 2021 estimated that less than 5% of adults with Down syndrome have access to a Down syndrome specialty clinic.
Part of our mission at the Adult Down Syndrome Center is to share the knowledge and experience we have gained with individuals with Down syndrome, families, caregivers, and professionals far and wide so that more people with Down syndrome have access to comprehensive and compassionate health care. Our efforts include:
▪ sharing information on our social media pages
▪ developing and maintaining a free online Resource Library
▪ facilitating in-person and virtual groups for teens and adults with Down syndrome
▪ providing a webinar series for families, caregivers, and professionals
▪ creating health videos featuring people with Down syndrome
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Established in 1992, the Adult Down Syndrome Center was the first and remains the largest clinic for adolescents and adults with Down syndrome in the United States. Part of Advocate Aurora Health Care, it is located on the campus of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois.
Advocate Aurora Health is one of the 10 largest not-for-profit, integrated health systems in the United States. A national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, the system serves nearly 3 million patients annually in Illinois and Wisconsin across more than 500 sites of care.
The Adult Down Syndrome Center and its providers are nationally recognized for their expertise in providing healthcare for adolescents and adults with Down syndrome. They have received awards from many organizations including the National Down Syndrome Congress, Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group, and the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. The physicians at the Center – Brian Chicoine, MD and Erin Dominiak, MD – have been recognized as Top Doctors by Chicago Magazine and Castle Connolly.
The Center engages in patient-centered research and clinical trials. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded the Center along with the University of Chicago an INCLUDE project grant. The Center was also selected as one of four Center of Excellence Sites for the Down Syndrome Clinical Trials Network launched by LuMind IDSC Foundation.
The Center is also committed to sharing its knowledge and experience with others. The Center’s co-founders Brian Chicoine, MD and Dennis McGuire, PhD have published two books – Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome: A Guide to Emotional and Behavioral Strengths and Challenges and The Guide to Good Health for Teens and Adults with Down Syndrome. Staff at the Center frequently present at local and national events including the National Down Syndrome Congress Convention and the National Down Syndrome Society Adult Summit. Information is also shared in an extensive online Resource Library that covers a broad range of physical and psychosocial health topics (https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com).
