In 1958, while working in Professor Turpin’s laboratory, Dr Jérôme Lejeune discovered the genetic cause of what was then known as Mongolism: an extra chromosome in pair 21. On 26th January 1959, the Academy of Science published his scientific work (Jérôme Lejeune, Marthe Gautier and Raymond Turpin. Human chromosomes in tissue culture. C. R. Acad. Sciences, 26th January 1959). This condition would henceforth be called Trisomy 21.
For the first time in the world, a link had been established between an intellectual disability and a chromosome abnormality. Parents of children with Down syndrome could now know that their children’s’ condition was not hereditary. He later discovered the cause of many other chromosome abnormalities, thereby opening the way to cytogenetics and modern genetics.
Heading the Cytogenetics Unit at the Hospital Necker- Enfants Malades in Paris, his consultations became among the most sought after in the world. Helped by his co-workers, he investigated over 30,000 chromosome cases and treated more than 9,000 persons with these conditions.
His utmost concern was to one day succeed in healing the maladies of the patients who came to see him from around the world. He showed the personhood of his patients, and reminded us that as a civilization we must always seek to protect our most vulnerable members.
Although the results of his research should have helped medicine to advance towards a cure, they are often used to identify children carrying these conditions as early as possible, usually with the aim of terminating pregnancy.
Lejeune was propelled to the forefront of advocating for the protection of the unborn with Down syndrome. He gave hundreds of conferences and interviews across the globe in defense of life. He died of cancer on the 3rd of April 1994, Easter morning, thirty-three days after his appointment.
Jérôme Lejeune was born in 1926 in Montrouge, a Parisian suburb.
He studied medicine and became a researcher in 1952, eventually becoming an international expert for France on atomic radiation.
In July 1958, during a study of chromosomes of a child with Down syndrome, he discovered the existence of an extra chromosome on the 21st pair. For the first time, ever, a link was established between a state of an intellectual disability and a chromosomal anomaly.
In 1962, his extraordinary discovery was awarded the Kennedy Prize which Jérôme Lejeune received personally from President John F. Kennedy.
In 1964, the first Chair of Fundamental Genetics was created for him at the Faculty de Medicine de Paris. He started speaking at thousands of conferences around the world whilst still working and treating children and their families.
In 1969, his work on chromosomal pathologies was awarded the William Allen Memorial Award.
In 1974, he became a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
In 1981 he was elected to the Academy des Sciences Morals and Politics.
In 1983 he joined the Academy Nationale de Medicine. He was an honorary doctor, a member and laureate of many international Academies, Universities and scholarly societies.
In 1994 he was named President of the Pontifical Academy for life.
He died on 3 April 1994. In 2007 the case for beatification of Jérôme Lejeune was opened by the Roman Catholic Church.
Our Clinics focus on developing the child’s language and communication as well as their physical development. The sessions provide interventions with advice and recommendations for parents and carers on how to help their child with their next stage of development together with practical skills and activities which can be incorporated into their everyday lives.
This shared intervention is proven to have excellent outcomes for the children and enables parents to learn more about their child’s condition and how to practically help them and give them the best start in life.
We offer subsidised rates for our clinics so that all families can attend. Our service aims to supplement NHS therapy services. We are based in London’s Sloane Square and are open to all families across England and Wales.
Speech & Language Therapy (SLT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) are proven to have hugely beneficial effects on the progress and development of children with Down syndrome. Our targeted sessions are run jointly by two specialist therapists in SLT & OT. Parents are invited to join the sessions to learn about the practical activities that can be incorporated into their child’s everyday life.
The valuable service we provide is heavily subsidised and we survive purely from financial donations and fundraising from the generosity of our supporters. If you can help by either donating to the charity or organising a fundraising event,
Contact Us at Funding@lejeuneclinic.com
Most of our referrals are via this website or word of mouth. If you know a family who might benefit from our services, please let them know.
You can also download copies of our posters for distribution in your community by clicking on the images below.
The poster has been designed to be printed on A5 paper.
Make sure you have the paper size set to A5 in your printer's settings.
When your child was born you joined a network of committed and positive parents.
There are many organisations and support groups that you can approach for information and advice.
The Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group
Down Syndrome Education International
Down Syndrome Research Foundation
SEN Magazine a lively and engaging read with articles from experts, just perfect for busy parents. No wonder it's the UK’s leading special educational needs magazine.
Click or tap on the logo below to view the SEN Magazine website.
Below is a link to our poster about Language Awareness for children with Down Syndrome. It contains useful information about talking about Down Syndrome.
If possible, please do print copies of the poster and share them with your community.
The poster has been designed to be printed on A4 paper.
Make sure you have the paper size set to A4 in your printer's settings.
Supporting Positive Behavior - David Stein
Teaching Children to Read - Pat Oelwein - series of Books Woodbine House
Because I Am - Redemptorist Publications
Good Children - Lynette Burrows - Fisher Press
Suitable for infants from birth until 2 years old
£25 for one child per session
Our Baby group provides semi-structured therapies targeting early development, positioning and communication.
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Suitable for children from 2 – 6 years old
£40 for one child per session
The EIG's focus on developing speech & language, attention, listening, social communication, turn taking and physical development including toilet training. This combined therapy support really helps give the best opportunity for each child’s progress.
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Suitable for children from birth until 18 years old
£60 for one child per session
This Clinic consist of two children sharing the session with 1:1 therapy with each therapist. From a pre-session discussion, a therapeutic programme is tailored to meet each individual’s needs that can be put in place at home, at their nursery or at school as appropriate.
We provide a range of Clinics which especially focus on Early Intervention therapy. We have specialist therapists and support children and parents from birth up to 18 years old.
We run Baby Groups, Early Intervention Groups and Buddy-Up Sessions which combine; practical therapy, observations and discussion.
Our charity relies solely on public donations and fundraising. Our fees are highly subsidised to enable all families to attend the therapy sessions and we therefore ask that if you can pay more for your sessions, to please give a donation beyond the suggested charitable rates to help to sustain the provision of this service both to you and others needing us.
Alternatively, if you are struggling to meet costs, please contact us and we will endeavor to assist you.
Families can book a place at each session if there are available spaces.
Families can book a place at each session if there are available spaces.
The Buddy sessions consist of two children and allow for one-on-one time with each therapist as well as some shared time altogether. Our SLT & OT assesses each child in their respective areas, and give advice and recommendations with ideas on how to improve their skills and teach parents how to help their child with their next stage of development. The clinics are tailored the to meet each individual’s needs and a therapeutic programme will be developed which can be put in place at home, at their nursery or at school as appropriate.
The therapy is designed to be supportive and is expected to be ongoing with follow-up appointments every four to six months to maintain steady progress under expert eyes. At the end of the sessions parents receive a written summary of the work covered in the sessions, with the targets and recommendations for further work at home.
Please fill in the details in the referral form below.
Speech and Language is an area of difficulty for most children with Down syndrome and though often keen to communicate and interested in things going on around them from very early on, language skills are usually delayed. We work to improve these core elements with our specially targeted interventions which can be started from infancy and continue throughout their childhood.
Parents can raise specific concerns about their child’s progress; these may range from toileting, turn taking, waiting, communication. The therapists work collaboratively with parents and their child to come up with a program of activities to practice over a few months.
Most babies with Down syndrome have low muscle tone and loose ligaments which can be a challenge to early motor development and issues often relate to health and growth development. In our sessions, we work with the child on the foundation gross and fine motor skills such as; feeding, sitting, crawling, postural control, balance and standing. This can make a huge impact on their overall development and supports them in gaining their independence.
The Lejeune Clinic was set up in 1995 by Dr Margret White and the Guild of Catholic Doctors and was the first center in the UK to provide specialist assessment and therapy for children with Down syndrome and their families. For over twenty years the clinic followed the work of Professor Jerome Lejeune, the French geneticist who in 1959 discovered in the link between Down syndrome and Chromosome 21. Professor Lejeune pioneered a clinic in Paris for the care, research and treatment of children with Down syndrome and devoted his life to working for them and their families and saw thousands of children from across the world at his clinics.
Today, medical services provided in the UK for children with Down syndrome has improved enormously and there is a network of doctors who are members of the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group who share information with health care professionals involved in the treating and managing of the syndrome and so families can now access support locally.
At the Lejeune Clinic, we continue to support families by providing essential Speech & Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy Sessions. We run clinics which are jointly led by two specialist therapists in Speech & Language and Occupational Therapy from birth to 18 years old.
Our Clinics focus on developing the child’s language and communication as well as their physical development. The sessions provide interventions with advice and recommendations for parents and carers on how to help their child with their next stage of development together with practical skills and activities which can be incorporated into their everyday lives.
This shared intervention is proven to have excellent outcomes for the children and enables parents to learn more about their child’s condition and how to practically help them and give them the best start in life.
Since training as a speech and language therapist in 2003 Jennifer has worked across a range of health, education and charity contexts providing assessment and intervention for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and complex communication needs. She has extensive experience working with children, young people and babies with Down Syndrome. Jennifer works collaboratively with parents and educators to support and empower them in developing communication and interaction skills in children and young people Jennifer volunteers as a Research Champion and Advisor for ASD and social communication disorders for the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. She is committed to research and best practice evidenced through completion of an MSC in Human Communication at City University, London in 2013. Jennifer has an interest in the development of social cognition in young children and is joint author of the ‘Early Sociocognitive Battery.’
I have undertaken specific training in the following assessment and therapy approaches:
A Graduate from Oxford Brookes University in 2002 with a BSc Hons in Occupational Therapy, Louise has worked within the NHS for the past 16 years. In 2006 Louise began to specialize in Pediatrics and has been providing complex assessments and intervention since then in a variety of settings. Louise has worked with the Lejeune Clinic since 2009. She has been supporting the charity, and assisting the families in their understanding of the occupational therapy needs of children with Down Syndrome by promoting a client-centered problem solving approach.
Louise has a particular interest in neurodevelopmental disorders and is recognized as an advanced Bobath practitioner, providing in-depth knowledge to normal and abnormal development. She is committed to maintaining up to date evidence based practice and this is reflected in her ongoing post graduate training which includes qualifications in Sensory Integration levels 1-3, becoming a recognized practitioner in the delivery of the Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Therapy, in the SOS approach to feeding, and in the administration of the Bayley scales of Infant and Toddler assessment tool.
Queripel House is next door to Partridges, a large delicatessen, and opposite the Saatchi gallery.
The nearest tube station is Sloane Square. Several bus routes run through Sloane Square - 11, 19, 22, 137, 170, 211, 319, 360, 452 & C1.
Parking is available at a pay-as-you-go car park in Cheltenham Terrace. Meter parking is available in St Leonard's Terrace, Turks Row and further down Cheltenham Terrace. There is also residential parking at Chelsea and Kensington.
The sessions are subsidised by the Lejeune Clinic for Children with Down Syndrome but do still require parental contribution (See Clinic Costs page).
Appointments must be paid for in advance of the session to confirm a place: payment details will be provided on confirmation of your booking.
Appointments must be cancelled more than 48 hours before the appointment.
If you wish to cancel your appointment, email Cancellations@lejeuneclinic.com
