Celebrating World Downs Syndrome Day 2023
An event organised by researchers from King’s College London and the Maudsley
World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is celebrated on 21 March and is a global awareness day officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. The 21st date of the third month was selected to represent WDSD to signify the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome that occurs in people with Down syndrome.
The London Down Syndrome Consortium (LonDownS) organised a WDSD celebration for people with Down syndrome and their families at The Crick Institute last Saturday 18 March.
LonDownS includes research groups from:
King’s College London
- South London and the Maudsley (SLAM) NHS Foundation Trust
- University College London
- Francis Crick Institute
- and Queen Mary University London
with support from the Down’s Syndrome Association
- UK Dementia Research Institute,
- Alzheimer’s Research UK,
- British Pharmacological Society,
- and Trisomy 21 Research Society
The full-day event included talks about ongoing studies on topics such as brain development, healthy ageing, heart health, language, and hormones in people with Down syndrome. There were also talks from research participants and their families about why they believe taking part in research is important, as well as talks from the Down’s Syndrome Association’s Workfit Programme. Dr Li Chan from Queen Mary University and Dr Panagis Drakatos from Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital formed part of our panel of experts and discussed thyroid function and sleep apnoea in Down syndrome.
Dr Annabel Head from SLAM gave an inspiring talk on mental wellbeing, where she explained different ways that we can look after ourselves, including caring for our body, mind, spirit, people, place, and planet. She spoke about specific strategies such as keeping our mind and body active, breathing techniques, connecting with other people and easy ways we can help the planet, such as turning off the lights and cutting down the use of plastic bottles. Dr Head also encouraged us to be present in the moment through helping the audience to breathe mindfully.
We were thrilled with the turnout, with over 100 attendees joining us throughout the day. We played games, arts and crafts activities, and took many photos with our photobooth. A highlight of the day was the sock dance at the end!
Thank you to everyone who took part - we are looking forward to next year!
You can contact them at downsyndrome@kcl.ac.uk
Twitter - @londowns @t21rs
About the authors
Jasmine, Phoebe and Miren are researchers based at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. Their research aims to understand comorbidity patterns in children and adults with Down syndrome, including metabolic issues and Alzheimer’s disease. They examine this through a variety of methods such as neuropsychological testing, interviews, blood sampling and MRI imaging.
More information on some of the research teams that took part.
London Down Syndrome Consortium (LonDownS)
Gene Overdosage and comorbidities during the early lifetime in Down Syndrome
Frances Wiseman - UK Dementia Research Institute
