Down Syndrome Clinic
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Children, youth and families Healthcare providers
CHEO’s Down Syndrome Clinic provides care to children and youth with a confirmed diagnosis of Down Syndrome through karyotype testing. Our clinic ensures the medical needs of patients meets the Canadian Down Syndrome Medical Guidelines. Our clinic may also recommend and briefly address certain aspects of developmental, behavioural, and educational issues.
About our team
Our team consists of four pediatricians, two nurses and a dietician.
Information for children, youth, and families
How can I make an appointment?
Before your Down Syndrome Clinic appointment, the nurse case manager will contact you to review a questionnaire. Your child will also need to have blood work done prior to or on the same day as their appointment with us.
Please bring these to your appointment:
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record of medication and dosage
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school reports
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therapy reports (i.e., OT, PT, Speech)
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health card
Please sign up for a MyChart account prior to your first visit.
Our scheduling team will contact you by phone to schedule an appointment.
CHEO is committed to providing timely care for children, youth, and families. If this is your first appointment in a clinic or department and you miss two appointments without giving at least 48 hours’ notice, your referral will be returned to the care provider who submitted it. They can then follow up with you to confirm whether you still need or wish to proceed with the referral.
We understand life happens and unforeseen events come up. Please notify us as early as possible by calling 613-737-7600 x2222 — ideally at least 48 hours in advance — if you need to cancel or reschedule. This helps us offer the appointment to another family and keep wait times as short as possible. A cancellation 48 hours or more in advance will not count as a missed appointment.
What to expect during your appointment
You will be seen by one of our clinic pediatricians who will discuss any questions or concerns you have. We will update your family physician after the appointment so they can continue to meet all of your child's health and wellness needs.
Our clinic does not provide primary care - please keep in close contact with your regular doctor while being followed by our clinic.
Who should I contact if I am worried or have questions?
Call 911 for any emergency.
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For patients who are being followed by the Down Syndrome Clinic: For patients who have seen a CHEO Down Syndrome provider, call your nurse case manager or send a direct message to them through MyChart. This is not for urgent calls. Our nurses are here to give support, education and will work to coordinate your child’s care. It may take 3-5 days for us to get back to you (and sometimes longer during holidays). We will return the most serious calls first. Please avoid leaving multiple messages for the same issue.
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For patients who are waiting for their first visit with the Down Syndrome Clinic: Please call your family doctor, pediatrician or visit your nearest walk-in clinic.
Looking for more resources or supports on Down Syndrome?
Visit our Down Syndrome resources and support page to find helpful websites, local contacts, videos and more.
Information for healthcare providers
Make a referral
Our clinic is now accepting e-referrals with Ocean!
If you’re already on Ocean, look us up via your account by searching "CHEO".
If you don’t yet have an Ocean account, no problem - signing up is free.
You can also continue to submit referrals by faxing a referral form to the clinic using the contact information below.
Referral criteria and eligibility
| Reason for referral | Criteria | Mandatory information to include in referral | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis of Down Syndrome | Confirmed diagnosis via Karyotype. Must reside in Ontario. | None | None |
Other information
Please contact us at the numbers below. Those with a confirmed Down Syndrome diagnosis will be contacted by a Nurse Coordinator. Our coordinator will answer your questions, set up an appointment and refer you to other health and developmental services if needed.
Contact us
If you have any questions or concerns about your child's health, contact us. These numbers are monitored Monday to Friday from 8:00am-4:00pm. If no one is available to take a call, leave a message that includes your name and your relationship to the patient, the name and date of birth of the patient, the name of the doctor and details on where and when you can be reached. We will get back to you within 3-5 business days.
CHEO Down Syndrome Clinic
CHEO
401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L1
Location: CHEO Clinic C1-BScheduling clerk: 613-737-7600 x2352
Nurse Case Manager: 613-737-7600 x2825
Dietician: 613-737-7600 x6064Fax referrals to: 613-738-4292
Our phone numbers and fax number are not emergency lines. For emergencies, contact your family physician, Telehealth Ontario or 911.
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