The progressive and proactive people the Down Syndrome Program in the Children's Hospital Boston are running a series of online lectures, which will be freely available to all over the internet.  The program is run by Dr Brian Skotko, Dr Emily Davidson and Angela Lombardo.

Oftentimes, we find ourselves with little time during clinical visits to discuss important topics, common to so many families. With this in mind, we wanted to honor the legacy of our Program's mentor, Allen C. Crocker, by initiating a lecture series.

The Allen C. Crocker Lecture Series is designed for parents and families members seeking quality information from experts on a range of topics related to Down syndrome. These lectures, honoring the legacy of Dr. Crocker, can be viewed for free.

Here are some of the details for the lectures:

• The Series will take place on the fourth Monday of each month from 7:00-8:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted. 
   
• Families can view the lectures live via simulcast by following the instructions posted on their web page.
  
  
• Families can access any of the lectures--and accompanying handouts--on their web page at any time for free.

The next talk will be simulcast live online on June 28, 2010 from 7.00pm - 8.30pm

The featured speaker will be Dascha Weir, MD who will present a talk on "Celiac Disease and Down Syndrome"

Topics for future upcoming talks include:

July 26, 2010 - Nutrition and Ds presented by Kathryn Brown, MS, RD, LDN

August 23, 2010 - What Your Other Children Are Thinking: Sibling Issues presented by Brian Skotko, MD, MPP and Sue Levine, MA, CSW

September 27, 2010 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea in DS presented by Dennis Rosen, MD

October 24, 2010 - Toilet Training and DS presented by Kimberly Dunn, PNP

November 15, 2010 - Down Syndrome presented by Allen C. Crocker, MD.

Already, there are posted parent lectures on:

•      Mental health issues for people with Down syndrome
•      Feeding and swallowing issues in infants with Down syndrome.

Over the next two years, the Children's Hospital Boston hope to develop an online library of resources.