Understanding and Teaching about Down Syndrome

This project aims to clarify and disseminate information on clinical and laboratory methods for diagnosing Down syndrome (DS), both prenatally and postnatally. It addresses ethical issues and the relationship between healthcare professionals and individuals with DS. The project also focuses on mothers of babies with DS, investigating the main emotions expressed by them during and after receiving their child’s diagnosis. It further seeks to compare the emotional responses of mothers receiving the diagnosis during pregnancy versus at birth and to evaluate whether understanding of the syndrome improves after reading the booklet we developed titled “Understanding Down Syndrome.”

Participating Faculty Members:

• Carmen Lucia Antão Paiva
• Adriano Baggio Nardes
• Sonia Regina Middleton
• Suely Rodrigues dos Santos