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/
10/30/2025
Many individuals with Down syndrome and their families have shared with us that they often write or copy letters, words, and sentences repetitiously. Some examples we have heard include:
▪️writing the names of favorite superheroes
▪️writing lines from movies
▪️copying sentences from books
▪️writing various letters that do not form words
Difficulty with swallowing can be a significant health problem causing a variety of symptoms and complications. A type of pneumonia called aspiration pneumonia is one of the more serious complications of swallowing problems.
Several factors can contribute to swallowing problems. Swallowing can be affected by anatomical or physical issues. Swallowing problems can also be caused by behaviors such as not chewing adequately or eating too quickly.
Attention to healthy eating, chewing, and swallowing in daily life as well as evaluation and treatment by medical professionals may be recommended to diagnose and treat swallowing problems.
Brian Chicoine, MD provides more information about swallowing problems in people with Down syndrome in the article linked below.
Dennis McGuire, PhD, and Brian Chicoine, MD, discuss empathy radar in their book Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome. They have observed that many adults with Down syndrome are able to "pick up" on the feelings and emotions of others. They share the following example:
"Mark, age fifteen, was with his parents at a school conference. The focus of the conference was expectedly on Mark. Suddenly, he changed the flow of the meeting by asking his teacher, 'How are you doing? You seem upset.' His parents, who had not noticed a problem, were somewhat startled by his interruption and confused by his apparent lack of understanding of the purpose of the conference. The teacher paused, became teary-eyed, and then told Mark and his parents that a close relative had recently died. She thanked Mark and spent much of the rest of the conference discussing Mark’s empathy and compassion for others."
Empathy radar can be beneficial in developing and maintaining relationships with family, friends, classmates, co-workers, and other people that individuals with Down syndrome interact with throughout their lives. Empathy radar can also be a challenge if the person internalizes the feelings of others and is unable to filter out the strong emotions, stressors, tensions, and/or conflicts of others.
🫀 Coronary artery disease is a type of heart disease in which the arteries that supply blood to the heart become narrowed and hardened. This is caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries and results in reduced blood flow to the heart muscle. A person may experience a myocardial infarction (heart attack) if the plaque builds up to the point that it blocks the flow of blood through one or more of the arteries.
Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease in people without Down syndrome; however, it is much less common in people with Down syndrome. A study of the patients seen at the Adult Down Syndrome Center (Fitzpatrick 2020) found that coronary artery disease and myocardial infarctions were significantly less common in people with Down syndrome compared to people without Down syndrome.
Many of our posts throughout Down Syndrome Awareness Month have shared examples of health conditions that people with Down syndrome experience at different frequencies compared to people without Down syndrome. See the link below for a recording of a webinar called Common and Uncommon Health Conditions in Adolescents and Adults with Down Syndrome presented by Brian Chicoine, MD, to learn more.
🔗https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources/common-and-uncommon-health-conditions-webinar-2024/
10/26/2025
There is a growing appreciation for the complexity of weight management in people with and without Down syndrome. While "eat right and exercise" used to be the main advice for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, we now know that there are many additional factors that can affect weight including (but not limited to):
😴 sleep
💉 hormones
💪🏾 metabolic rate
😟 stress
💊 medications
🩺 health conditions
Making healthy lifestyle choices - such as eating unprocessed or minimally processed foods, drinking plenty of water, being active, getting good sleep, and managing stress - is important not only for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight but also for overall health and well-being.
Many of us use visual supports on a daily basis, although we may not refer to them that way. Apps on our phones, to-do lists, and calendars are all examples of visual supports.
Visuals can be particularly beneficial for people with Down syndrome because many have strong visual memories. Visuals can be used to:
➡️ set and manage expectations
➡️ establish routines
➡️ communicate
➡️ learn new skills
➡️ and more!
Many people with Down syndrome are affected by one or more skin conditions such as dry skin, folliculitis, boils, hidradenitis suppurativa, and others. These conditions can be painful at times and impact a person's ability to participate in daily life. Steps can be taken to prevent and treat these skin conditions.
The Society for Pediatric Dermatology developed a set of handouts about skin conditions in individuals with Down syndrome. The handouts refer to infants, children, and teenagers with Down syndrome; however, much of the information is also applicable to adults with Down syndrome. The handouts can be accessed from our Resource Library at the link below.
Alzheimer's disease occurs more frequently and at a younger age in people with Down syndrome. It is estimated that more than 75% of people with Down syndrome ages 60 and older will develop Alzheimer's disease.
Why is Alzheimer's disease so common in people with Down syndrome?
▪ Alzheimer's disease involves the buildup of damaging proteins in the brain.
▪ One of the proteins is amyloid. The gene that produces amyloid protein is called amyloid precursor protein (APP), and it is found on the 21st chromosome.
▪ Since people with Down syndrome have a full or partial extra copy of the 21st chromosome, they have more of the APP gene and, consequently, more amyloid protein.
These statistics and facts do not convey the devastating impact of Alzheimer's disease on people with Down syndrome, their families and friends, and the Down syndrome community. There are resources to support people with Down syndrome and their loved ones. Research on how to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease is also ongoing.
All people with Down syndrome deserve access to informed, compassionate, and respectful healthcare. Yesterday, the National Down Syndrome Society launched CARE Down Syndrome to work towards achieving that vision. CARE Down Syndrome is a clinical education and resource hub for primary care professionals. It includes a 2-hour course, reference articles, and resource library that healthcare professionals can use to learn about the unique health needs of adults with Down syndrome.
CARE Down Syndrome was developed in collaboration with more than 40 experts including Brian Chicoine, MD, Hannah Graham, MD, and Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L from the Adult Down Syndrome Center. It was endorsed by the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group - USA (DSMIG-USA) and The American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD).
Many people with Down syndrome have flat feet (reduced arch of the foot). Overpronation is one of the foot problems that is associated with flat feet. Overpronation occurs when the feet/ankles roll inward too far while walking or running. It can lead to foot, ankle, knee, hip, and back pain.
Wearing shoes and orthotics that support the foot and ankle can:
▪️prevent injury
▪️increase comfort
▪️optimize function while being active
Many solid tumor cancers such as breast cancer and colon cancer are less common in people with Down syndrome compared to people without Down syndrome. One exception is testicular cancer, which is more common in men with Down syndrome than men without Down syndrome.
Differences in incidence of cancers have implications for screening tests such as mammograms and colonoscopies. The risks and benefits of screening tests may not be the same for people with and without Down syndrome. We recommend that individuals with Down syndrome discuss health screening recommendations with their healthcare professionals to make a decision that is appropriate for their circumstances.
Many (but not all) people with Down syndrome think and behave in concrete ways. This can be very functional. For example, people with Down syndrome often excel at well-defined tasks that can be consistently completed in the same way.
Conversely, abstract thinking and concepts, such as time, may be more challenging for some people with Down syndrome to understand. For example, many people with Down syndrome can tell what time it is on a clock or watch but they may talk about events that happened many years ago as if they occurred just a few days or weeks ago.
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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).
