Down Syndrome Center Podcast

Kishore Vellody, MD
  • 4.9 (69)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

This podcast contains information for caregivers and providers regarding Down syndrome. Hosted by Dr. Kishore Vellody, Medical Director of the Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylvania and former President of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

  1. 5D AGO

    #221 - Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) and Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) in Ds

    Today's podcast features 3 amazing guests with professional and/or personal experience in working with children with Down syndrome and Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) and/or Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI).   Maurice Belote has decades of expertise in the field of Deafblindness. Belote is a Deafblind specialist, Co-chair of the National Coalition on Deafblindness, adjunct faculty for two teacher training programs, and retired Project Coordinator for California Deafblind Services. lse Willems is the Senior Director of the CVI Center at Perkins School for the Blind.  She has worked at Perkins since 2010, working with students with visual impairments, dual sensory loss, and multiple disabilities, as both a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) and a Teacher of the Deafblind.  Jennifer Saenz, DO, MPH, a primary care physician and parent of a child with dual processing challenges and Down syndrome. Suggested Resources: https://www.perkins.org/cvi-now/ https://makeiteasiertosee.co.uk/ Article (available for purchase): Facilitating Listening Skills in Children who are Visually Impaired with Additional Disabilities of Deafblindness   If you would like to suggest a topic for us to cover on the podcast, please send an e-mail to DownSyndromeCenter@chp.edu. If you would like to partner with the Down Syndrome Center, including this podcast, please visit https://givetochildrens.org/downsyndromecenter. We are thankful for the generous donation from Caring for Kids – The Carrie Martin Fund that provides the funding for the podcast recording equipment and hosting costs for this podcast.

    34 min

  2. FEB 19

    #220 - CARE Down Syndrome (CARE DS)

    Kandi Pickard (CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society) and Dr. Brian Chicoine (Advocate Medical Group - Adult Down Syndrome Center) joined the podcast to discuss CARE Down Syndrome, a clinical education hub for healthcare professionals.  It can be difficult for a busy primary care clinician to be fully up to date in the care of people with Down syndrome.  This free resource exists to help educate practitioners on the common issues encountered in Down syndrome. For more information on CARE Down Syndrome, go to https://careds.org.    If you would like to suggest a topic for us to cover on the podcast, please send an e-mail to DownSyndromeCenter@chp.edu. If you would like to partner with the Down Syndrome Center, including this podcast, please visit https://givetochildrens.org/downsyndromecenter. We are thankful for the generous donation from Caring for Kids – The Carrie Martin Fund that provides the funding for the podcast recording equipment and hosting costs for this podcast.

    18 min

  3. FEB 5

    #219 - Drooling, Tongue Protrusion, and other Oral Motor Topics

    Kaye Baumgardner, M.S., CCC-SLP, CLC is a speech therapist with expertise in Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders (OMD).  She has had extensive training and years of experience evaluating and working with infants and children who have muscle-based and sensory-based feeding disorders.  She joined the podcast today to answer a listener question about an infant with parental concern for drooling and tongue protrusion.  For more information on her practice, go to https://www.minnetonkatherapy.com/kaye-b/   If you would like to suggest a topic for us to cover on the podcast, please send an e-mail to DownSyndromeCenter@chp.edu. If you would like to partner with the Down Syndrome Center, including this podcast, please visit https://givetochildrens.org/downsyndromecenter. We are thankful for the generous donation from Caring for Kids – The Carrie Martin Fund that provides the funding for the podcast recording equipment and hosting costs for this podcast.

    19 min

  4. JAN 22

    #218 - Vision Concerns (with Dr. Michael Puente)

    Dr. Michael Puente is a pediatric ophthalmologist at Children's Hospital Colorado.  He works with young children, teens, and adults with Down syndrome in his practice.  He joined the podcast to discuss common vision issues in people with Down syndrome. If you would like to suggest a topic for us to cover on the podcast, please send an e-mail to DownSyndromeCenter@chp.edu. If you would like to partner with the Down Syndrome Center, including this podcast, please visit https://givetochildrens.org/downsyndromecenter. We are thankful for the generous donation from Caring for Kids – The Carrie Martin Fund that provides the funding for the podcast recording equipment and hosting costs for this podcast.

    24 min

  5. JAN 8

    #217 - Neuropsychological and IQ testing (with Dr. Rosemarie Manfredi)

    Dr. Rosemarie Manfredi is a licensed psychologist at Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Consulting, LLC.   You can find more information about Dr. Manfredi's practice here: https://www.neuroassessconsult.com AAIDD definition of intellectual disability, which emphasizes comprehensive evaluations to determine treatment and educational planning: https://www.aaidd.org/intellectual-disability/definition   Wrightslaw website to help parents understand their rights in the special education process: https://www.wrightslaw.com   Wrightslaw also has a specific page on Assessment and Testing, which includes information on some commonly-used tests and other testing information of interest to parents: https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/test.index.htm     If you would like to suggest a topic for us to cover on the podcast, please send an e-mail to DownSyndromeCenter@chp.edu. If you would like to partner with the Down Syndrome Center, including this podcast, please visit https://givetochildrens.org/downsyndromecenter. We are thankful for the generous donation from Caring for Kids – The Carrie Martin Fund that provides the funding for the podcast recording equipment and hosting costs for this podcast.

    22 min

  6. 12/18/2025

    #216 - Speech Clarity

    Jennifer Gray is a speech language pathologist (SLP) who works at Gray Speak Therapy (http://grayspeaktherapy.com).  She joined the podcast to talk about the importance of speech clarity and techniques to improve it for people with Down syndrome.

    34 min

  7. 12/04/2025

    #215 - Hip Issues in Down syndrome (with Dr. Ricki Koehler)

    Dr. Ricki Koehler was the lead author on a recent article looking at Down syndrome and hip dysplasia and dislocations.  Dr. Koehler joined the podcast to answer a listener question on the topic. To read the article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40433006/   If you would like to suggest a topic for us to cover on the podcast, please send an e-mail to DownSyndromeCenter@chp.edu. If you would like to partner with the Down Syndrome Center, including this podcast, please visit https://givetochildrens.org/downsyndromecenter. We are thankful for the generous donation from Caring for Kids – The Carrie Martin Fund that provides the funding for the podcast recording equipment and hosting costs for this podcast.

    20 min

  8. 11/20/2025

    #214 - REACH - Serving Children with Hirschsprung Disease

    Isabelles Schnadig and Ashley Matthews from REACH (Research, Education, Advocacy for Children with Hirschsprung disease) joined the podcast to talk about the supports they can offer for children with Down syndrome and Hirschsprung Disease.  For more information about REACH, visit https://www.reachhd.org For more supports for Down syndrome and Hirschsprung disease, visit https://www.reachhd.org/down-syndrome-hirschsprung-disease My Little Brother Is A Trooper: The Story of a Child With a Dual Diagnosis: Down Syndrome and Hirschsprung Disease by Isabelle Schnadig can be found at https://sdppublishingsolutions.com/product/my-little-brother-is-a-trooper/ Ashley's rash tips can be found at https://somaticmagicmama.com/2025/05/27/rash-tips-for-hirschsprungs-disease/   If you would like to suggest a topic for us to cover on the podcast, please send an e-mail to DownSyndromeCenter@chp.edu. If you would like to partner with the Down Syndrome Center, including this podcast, please visit https://givetochildrens.org/downsyndromecenter. We are thankful for the generous donation from Caring for Kids – The Carrie Martin Fund that provides the funding for the podcast recording equipment and hosting costs for this podcast.

    28 min
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4.9
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About

This podcast contains information for caregivers and providers regarding Down syndrome. Hosted by Dr. Kishore Vellody, Medical Director of the Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylvania and former President of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

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