Down syndrome children and their families.

The philosophy of community care means that responsibility for the care of children with Down syndrome (DS) remains still more firmly with the families. Demographic changes have made the typical DS family of the 1970s and 1980s differ in structure, size, and status from that typical of earlier decades. The findings of a population study of DS children and their families, matched with children with a similar degree of mental retardation, and of a longitudinal study of DS children born 1970-1972, are discussed in relation to a series of similar studies. From these results it is possible to identify vulnerable families for appropriate help.