DOWN SYNDROME CENTER  

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We are excited to introduce The Down Syndrome Center at MUSC Children’s Hospital.  This center consists of a clinic run by a multidisciplinary team who’s goal is to provide quality care in order to help each individual with Down Syndrome reach his or her full potential and function as independently as possible in all aspects of family, school and community life.

Medical Referral Form

As part of the MUSC Children’s Hospital, experts in every pediatric subspecialty including ophthalmology, ENT, audiology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, neurology, and nutritional services are readily available.

The Team

• Shashidhar Pai, MD – Senior Advisor
• Angela LaRosa, MD, MSCR – Medical Director
• Karen van Bakergem, LMSW – Clinic Coordinator
• Jennifer Pitassi, MSPT – Physical Therapist
• Diane Andrews, MS/CCC-SLP – Speech Language Pathologist
• Courtney Jarrard, OTR/L – Occupational Therapist
• David White, MD – ENT/Otolaryngology
• Kim Snyder, MS – Pediatric Audiologist

The Down Syndrome Clinic is committed to the evaluation and management of patients as well as research endeavors to improve quality of care for individuals with Down syndrome.

We are currently focusing our clinical attention of children age 0-5 in order to provide the best preventive and early intervention care available.  In the future, we will begin providing services to children of all ages.  Please call for more information.

At your initial appointment you should expect to:

• Discuss any concerns you have about your child
• Review your child's history (medical problems, developmental and behavioral issues, educational placements, therapies)
• Make sure your child is up-to-date on all recommended testing
• Conduct developmental testing
• Perform a physical examination  
• Receive recommendations for further testing, therapies or educational programming
• Meet and consult with a speech, occupational, and/or physical therapist

For more information, please contact Karen van Bakergem at
(843) 876-1524.