The diagnosis of an abnormal child, such as one with Down syndrome (DS), will be traumatic to the parents. They may well benefit from genetic and psychological counseling as the situation demands.

Early diagnosis also means early intervention and a lot can be done to improve the quality of life of the affected child.

It is difficult to predict the cognitive capabilities of DS children at birth. Their symptoms fall within a clinical spectrum and each child will have to be individually assessed to make effective management possible.

Speech therapy and physical therapy can enhance the communicative ability and motor skills of the patients respectively.

Some people recommend plastic surgery for DS patients to reduce typicality of the facial features .However this is controversial.

Partial glossectomy or tongue reduction helps to improve speech among these children.

Recently Piracetam a drug used widely to treat Alzheimer’s has been earmarked for the Down individuals. Evidence suggests that the drug helps to improve academic skills of DS children by enhancing their speech, visual / motor co ordination and also their learning. No serious side effects have been reported.

Prenatal diagnosis gives the parents the choice of aborting the baby.

In the recent past another genetic technology Pre implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has revolutionized the choices available to prospective parents. Couples undergoing IVF treatment, and who are at risk for genetic abnormalities, can have their embryos analyzed with the help of specific probes. This way the aberrant embryos are eliminated and only the viable ones are transferred back to the uterus.