{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T14:01:30Z","timestamp":1790776890574,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Adults with Down syndrome (DS) increasingly require structured transition from pediatric to adult healthcare, yet disease-specific guidance remains limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We reviewed current evidence and combined it with the multidisciplinary clinical experience of the Belgian National Scientific Board for Down Syndrome to identify barriers and propose practical recommendations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Transition in DS is challenged by intellectual disability, multimorbidity, fragmented adult care, structural healthcare inequalities, delayed primary care involvement, parental ageing, and poor coordination between medical and social services. We propose a person-centered framework emphasizing early preparation, supported decision-making, multidisciplinary collaboration, early engagement of general practitioners, accessible communication, and integrated medico-social support.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Disease-specific transition pathways are needed to improve continuity of care, promote autonomy, and reduce health inequalities. Prospective studies should evaluate transition models and include the perspectives of people with DS and their families.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1932363","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T13:37:42Z","timestamp":1790775462000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Building a framework for successful transition from pediatric to adult healthcare in Down syndrome"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"J.","family":"Hubrechts","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Saint-Luc, Universit\u00e9 Catholique de Louvain","place":["Brussels, Belgium"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"N.","family":"Mahlaoui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Immuno-Hematology and Rheumatology Unit, French National Reference Center for Primary Immune Deficiencies (CEREDIH), Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital, Assistance Publique\u2013H\u00f4pitaux de Paris (AP-HP)","place":["Paris, France"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"H.","family":"Franckx","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel","place":["Brussels, Belgium"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"I.","family":"Loeckx","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, CHC MontL\u00e9gia","place":["Li\u00e8ge, Belgium"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"A.","family":"Monier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, H\u00f4pital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola, H\u00f4pital Universitaire de Bruxelles, Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles","place":["Brussels, Belgium"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"T.","family":"Boiy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen","place":["Antwerp, Belgium"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Wie\u00ebrs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service of General Internal Medicine, Clinique Saint-Pierre, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve; Faculty of Medicine, Universit\u00e9 de Namur and NARILIS Namur Research Institute for Life Science","place":["Namur, Belgium"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e051314","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2021-051314","article-title":"\u201cImproving the transition from pediatric to adult healthcare: a scoping review on the recommendations of young adults with lived experience,\u201d","volume":"12","author":"Cassidy","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1111\/jir.70049","article-title":"\u201cTransition from children\u2019s to adults\u2019 healthcare for youth with (genetic) intellectual disabilities: an ERN-ITHACA guideline,\u201d","volume":"70","author":"Klein\u00a0Haneveld","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Intellect Disabil Res"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1554589","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1554589","article-title":"\u201cGlobal, regional, and national impact of down syndrome on child and adolescent mortality from 1980 to 2021, with projections to 2050: a cross-sectional study,\u201d","volume":"13","author":"Ye","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front Public Health"},{"key":"B4","first-page":"974","article-title":"\u201cDoes continuity of care improve patient outcomes?\u201d","volume":"53","author":"Cabana","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. 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