DOWN SYNDROME CLINIC OF HOUSTON
Frequently asked questions

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What is the Down Syndrome Clinic of Houston?
The Down Syndrome Clinic of Houston is an important supplement to the services provided by your child’s primary care physician. The Clinic’s core services are provided to individuals, from infancy to 18 years, with Down syndrome. Other programs are aimed at meeting the needs of families.

At its location in the Texas Medical Center, the Clinic provides these services:

• Baseline assessments of your child’s health and cognitive development.

• Recommendations of specialized therapies tailored for your child.

• Monitoring for early signs of medical complications that individuals with Down syndrome most often encounter.

• Yearly assessments of your child’s intellectual development.

• Referrals to any medical specialists needed. Whenever possible, these referrals are made to Texas Children’s Hospital specialists who have experience in providing care to individuals with Down syndrome.

• Links with community organizations that help support families in nurturing their children’s best abilities.

• Genetic counseling for parents who want to know more.

The Clinic also serves as a community resource for healthcare professionals in Houston and beyond, providing specialized information and referrals that help doctors and their staffs provide excellent care for their young patients with Down syndrome.

Well-child checkups and routine-illness care are not provided at the Clinic. Those services are to be continued under the supervision of the child’s primary care doctor.

How does the Clinic work with primary-care doctors?
With parents’ permission, the Down Syndrome Clinic of Houston shares reports of your child’s progress with the primary-care doctor so that he or she can continue to provide the best ongoing care for your child. The Clinic’s doctors, therapists and other staff are available for consultation with the primary care doctor and associates to help streamline diagnosis and care.

How did the Clinic begin?
The Clinic was opened in October 2006 as a collaboration of three of Houston’s leading organizations in the field — Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine and the Down Syndrome Association of Houston — to streamline families’ access to care and monitoring for the medical issues that children with Down syndrome encounter.
Other community organizations participate, too, by suggesting links for families to a range of nonmedical resources. Some offer recreational opportunities for children, sometimes with their siblings or parents and other caregivers. Others sponsor a range of support resources, such as respite care and discussions among parents of children with Down syndrome.

What medical services are offered?
The Down Syndrome Clinic comprises many specialties.

As a first step, young patients will have a complete assessment by a developmental pediatrician from the Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics. Next, they are evaluated by a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals who have expertise in working with patients with Down syndrome:

• Psychologists evaluate and monitor cognitive profiles

• Physical and occupational therapists recommend home and school treatments

• Nurse coordinators facilitate any needed referrals to specialists, assuring that relevant medical history is appropriately shared

• Social workers guide families to community resources and support

• Speech therapist evaluations

During the process and afterward, parent volunteers from the Down Syndrome Association of Houston offer support and share wisdom about experiences as parents of children with Down syndrome.

We like our neighborhood primary-care doctor. Why should we come to the Clinic?
The Clinic will screen your child for health risks specific to Down syndrome and will continue to monitor for early signs of complications that children with Down syndrome are more likely than others to develop.

Its multidisciplinary approach assures that all areas of concern are thoroughly addressed in each visit. The close proximity of multiple medical specialties at Texas Children’s and its outpatient clinics facilitates access to professionals in a variety of areas of expertise, as well as the appropriate diagnostic systems.

What can I expect on my child’s first visit?
Arriving at least 30 minutes early for the first appointment is important. Be prepared to stay between two and three hours, depending on how many healthcare professionals your child will see.

After each visit, beginning with the first, families will receive a comprehensive report on their child’s developmental level with recommendations for appropriate therapies and interventions. The child’s primary-care physician also receives a copy.

Will there be a charge for services?
There are charges for the Clinic’s services, but no one will be denied service because of inability to pay.

Each physician at the Clinic bills individually, but there are no separate charges for consultation with physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists or genetic counselors. Therapists' services will be billed.

When possible, the bills will be sent directly to your health insurance, health maintenance organization, Medicaid or other health plan. Contact your provider about your plan’s specifics; in the meantime, these are general coverage guidelines:

• A referral in writing will probably be required from your child’s primary-care physician.

• An out-of-network referral may be available if the Clinic and Texas Children’s Hospital are not within your health-coverage company’s network of providers.

• Co-payments may be required at every visit, depending on your coverage. If so, expect separate co-pays to be charged for each physician your child sees. Co-payments for therapists' services may be required as well.

How do I set an appointment?
We can help you best when we fully understand your child’s needs. To assist us, please take the following steps:

• Ask your child’s primary care physician to provide a referral to the Down Syndrome Clinic of Houston (call 832-822-3478 for details).

• Complete and return the application and questionnaire that will be sent to you.

• Ask your child’s daycare, pre-school or schoolteacher to forward school reports (called the ARD and the FIE) to our office. Or enclose them with your child’s application.

• Once all pertinent information is processed, we will call to schedule an appointment. Please have your insurance and/or Medicaid card available for reference. At that time, we can help streamline any pending issues within the insurance-verification or out-of-network referral processes.

Where is the Down Syndrome Clinic of Houston?
Map & Directions
The Down Syndrome Clinic of Houston is located in the Texas Medical Center on the campus of Texas Children’s Hospital.

Down Syndrome Clinic of Houston
Texas Children’s Hospital
Clinical Care Center, 16th floor
6701 Fannin Street at Bates Street (across Bates from the hospital’s West Tower)

Driving Directions

Valet Parking
Valet parking is available next to the Clinical Care Center building between 5:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is an $11 charge for a single stay of up to 24 hours, with no in-and-out privileges.
As you are leaving the Clinic, you can call ahead for your car by dialing extension 4-5196 from a house phone in the West Tower or 2-0156 from the Clinical Care Center building.

Garage Parking Locations

• Garage # 2, at Holcombe and Richard J.V. Johnson Avenue, is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Garage # 16, located under the Clinical Care Center building, can be entered at Bates Street, about a block east of Fannin. It is open Mondays through Fridays only, from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Garage Parking Fees
Fees for parking in either Garage 2 or Garage 16 are $2 for the first 20 minutes, with gradual increases thereafter. The maximum fee of $10 (reached at two hours, 41 minutes) covers up to 24 hours of parking.

Discount parking
Weekly and monthly discount passes, with in-and-out privileges, are available for the parking garages. A five-day pass is $43; and a 30-day pass, $165.
To buy a discount parking pass, or learn more information about parking, call 713-791-6161 or visit the Texas Medical Center parking office located next to Garage 2 at 1155 W. Holcombe Blvd.

For more information, a Map & Information Guide (pdf) is available