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Often, babies with Down’s syndrome will also have heart-related problems or defects. Most of the time babies are born with them, and they affect up to half of all children with Down’s syndrome. One of the most common heart-related problems in an atrioventricular septal defect, which is a hole in the muscle that separates the multiple chambers in the heart. This leads to abnormal blood flow around the heart and can have detrimental consequences for overall health. If this condition is detected early enough, corrective surgery is usually feasible. To be sure, doctors will often perform a scan of the heart to check for any defects. More than 60% of children with Down syndrome have vision problems, including cataracts (clouding of the eye lens) that may be present at birth. The risk of cataract increases with age. Other eye problems that are more likely in children with Down syndrome are near-sightedness, “crossed” eyes, and rapid, involuntary eye movements. Glasses, surgery, or other treatments usually improve vision. The AAP recommends that infants with Down syndrome be examined by a pediatric eye specialist during the newborn period, and then have vision exams regularly as recommended. About 70% to 75% of children with Down syndrome have some hearing loss, sometimes because of problems with ear structures. The AAP recommends that babies with Down syndrome be screened for hearing loss at birth and have regular follow-up hearing exams. Many inherited hearing problems can be corrected. Children with Down syndrome also tend to get a lot of ear infections. These should be treated quickly to prevent possible hearing loss.

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In this short video, parents of children with Down syndrome talk about getting the diagnosis during pregnancy. They say they talked with their families about how this child would fit into their lives, and about deciding to go on with the pregnancy. Also, child health specialists explain what Down syndrome is and how they test for it.

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Last updated or reviewed 20-11-2015

Acknowledgements
This content was funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, and developed in collaboration with the Better Start initiative.
The Raising Children Network invites organisations and individuals to download and add this parenting video to their websites free of charge. The video must not be edited and must appear with the following statement:
Sourced from the Raising Children website, Australia's trusted parenting website. For more parenting information, visit www.raisingchildren.net.au.

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