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/
11/21/2025
🕒 Time is an abstract concept that can be confusing for some people with Down syndrome. Some individuals talk about events that happened many years ago as if they occurred just a few days or weeks ago. Others have difficulty knowing when to use past tense vs. present tense. This can lead to confusion and misunderstandings during conversations. It could be perceived that the person with Down syndrome is not being truthful; however, the person with Down syndrome may believe that they have been accurate in their description. See the article linked below to learn more about this difference in time perception as well as other perceptions.
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources/misunderstandings-caused-by-different-perceptions/
11/20/2025
Communication skills are important for maintaining healthy relationships; engaging at school, in the workplace, and in the community; and advocating for oneself in a variety of settings. Our Resource Library has a visual with tips for having conversations such as being a good listener, taking turns talking, and staying on topic. The visual is available for free at the link below.
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources/my-rules-for-conversations-visual/
11/19/2025
Urinary retention is the build-up of excessive urine in the bladder. It appears to be more common in people with Down syndrome. Possible complications include:
▫️urinary tract infections
▫️urinary incontinence (accidents)
▫️abdominal pain/discomfort
▫️kidney damage
There are treatments for urinary retention. Urinating every 2-3 hours is one way to prevent the bladder from becoming overfilled. We often recommend using watch/phone alarms, visual schedules, and other reminder systems to encourage individuals with Down syndrome to urinate more regularly. Learn more about urinary retention in people with Down syndrome in the article linked below.
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources/urinary-retention/
11/18/2025
Setting goals, making plans, managing schedules, and navigating daily life require certain skills and mental processes that are collectively called "executive function" or "executive functioning." Executive function includes working memory, flexible thinking, self-control, and problem solving.
Some people with Down syndrome benefit from additional support to learn and develop executive functioning skills and/or to access and use accommodations for tasks that require executive functioning skills. Our Resource Library has a list of articles and videos that provide more information about executive functioning in people with Down syndrome. Check out the list at the link below!
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources-on-executive-functioning-and-down-syndrome/
11/17/2025
Becoming more independent with personal hygiene tasks is a goal for some adolescents and adults with Down syndrome. Watching videos can be a successful learning method because many individuals with Down syndrome have strong visual memories. In the video linked below, Tim and Jim discuss and demonstrate the basic steps for shaving with an electric razor. Electric razors can be a great option for people with Down syndrome because they are safer, easier to handle, and reduce the risk of nicks and cuts.
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/how-to-shave-with-an-electric-razor-video/
11/16/2025
Yogurt can be a healthy addition to a snack or meal. Many grocery stores have an overwhelming number of brands, types, and flavors of yogurt. In the article linked below, Mandy Fila, MS, RD, CDCES, LDN, registered dietician, shares tips for selecting a healthy yogurt and discusses protein, probiotics, sugar, fat, and lactose. The article also includes healthy yogurt-based recipes. Individuals with Down syndrome who participated in our Healthy Snacks class enjoyed making and taste-testing the recipes!
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources/yogurt/
11/15/2025
Tasks that require fine motor skills can be challenging for some individuals with Down syndrome. There are many fun activities that can be done at any age to improve fine motor skills over time. Here are several ideas from Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L, the occupational therapist at our clinic:
❌⭕️ Play Tic Tac Toe using coins or beads as the game pieces. For an added challenge, use tongs, tweezers, or clothespins to pick up the pieces.
🎲 Play games involving small game pieces such as Mancala, Sorry!, Trouble, Kerplunk, or Connect 4. Card games are also good for practicing fine motor skills.
✂📄 Cut out photos from magazines (or print out images) and glue them on paper to make a collage.
🧩 Work on a puzzle.
🖍️💌️ Color in an adult coloring book or make a card for a friend or family member.
Pneumonia is more common in people with Down syndrome compared to people without Down syndrome. People with Down syndrome are also more likely to have a severe case of pneumonia.
Symptoms may include:
▪ cough
▪ fever
▪ fatigue
▪ chest pain
▪ confusion
▪ shortness of breath
▪ low oxygen level
▪ and others
A person with Down syndrome may have difficulty reporting symptoms of pneumonia so observation by others is important. There are ways to prevent or reduce the risk of developing pneumonia. Brian Chicoine, MD, provides more information about pneumonia in adults with Down syndrome in the article linked below.
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources/pneumonia-in-people-with-ds/
11/13/2025
Epileptic seizures are more common in individuals with Down syndrome. There is another type of seizure that some individuals with Down syndrome experience. They are called psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) or non-epileptic seizures. Sometimes, they are also referred to as "fake seizures."
When a person has an epileptic seizure, abnormalities are seen on an EEG (electroencephalogram). When a person has PNES, no abnormalities are seen on an EEG. A traumatic event, depression, and anxiety can be associated with the onset of PNES.
Treatment includes:
▪ reassuring the individual that these events are not epileptic seizures
▪ addressing psychological concerns and mental health problems
▪ eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Toileting is an aspect of personal hygiene about which Katie Frank, PhD, OTR/L, the occupational therapist at the Adult Down Syndrome Center, often receives questions. Common challenges include:
🚽 difficulty with wiping after a bowel movement
⌚ forgetting to use the toilet due to distractions or not realizing they need to use the toilet
🧻 using too much or too little toilet paper
Women who are pre- or post-menopausal may experience symptoms like hot flashes, mood lability/depression, brain fog, vaginal dryness, and joint pain. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is one of the available treatments for some of the symptoms associated with menopause. While it has not been studied specifically in women with Down syndrome, HRT has been shown to be safe and effective when used with the right patient and in the right context. Hannah Graham, MD, physician at the Adult Down Syndrome Center, discusses the nuances of HRT and considerations for women with Down syndrome in the article linked below.
🔗 https://adscresources.advocatehealth.com/resources/hrt-menopause/
11/10/2025
Brian Chicoine, MD, Medical Director of our Adult Down Syndrome Center, was the guest on a recent episode of the Down Syndrome Center of Western PA's podcast. Dr. Chicoine discussed cholesterol in people with Down syndrome with Kishore Vellody, MD, the host of the podcast and the Medical Director of the Down Syndrome Center in Pennsylvania. Some of the questions they address in the episode include:
▪️Do people with Down syndrome have the same risk of atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque in the arteries resulting in reduced blood flow to the heart muscle) as people without Down syndrome?
▪️What are the cholesterol screening recommendations for people with Down syndrome?
▪️Are statins commonly recommended for people with Down syndrome?
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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).
