There is a new way to access in more ways than ever the most widely-recognized and acclaimed resource for parents receiving a prenatal test result for Down syndrome.
Lettercase’s Understanding a Down Syndrome Diagnosis is a booklet that has been recognized by the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and the American College of Medical Genetics & Genomics as the resource for expectant parents to receive along with a prenatal test result for Down syndrome. This resource is now available for free as a web app and in multiple languages.
Everyone who flips through the printed version of the Lettercase booklet immediately comments on the photographs: diverse images of individuals with Down syndrome with their family, friends, and in the community. These images are now available for viewing on-line via a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Once the first impression of the photographs was processed, then readers would turn to the bite-sized bits of information that inform what a life with Down syndrome can be like and what resources are available for families.
The original booklet was printed in both English and Spanish translation. With the web app, the translations have quadrupled, to include: Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Russian, Somali, and Vietnamese.
One of the studies conducted of expectant mothers that identified the information in the Lettercase materials as the kind of information expectant mothers wanted while undergoing prenatal testing also noted these materials needed to be available on-line. Lettercase had made its materials available on-line via iBooks and other platforms. The new web app, though, makes it easier than ever for expectant mothers to access the recommended information for them when receiving a prenatal test result.
Lettercase’s booklet will continue to be published in hardcopy format and those printed versions may be ordered via Lettercase’s bookstore on its website. There is a value to providing patients these high-quality designed printed versions so that they may pick them up, hold them in their hands, and have a very real, tactile experience that they can review whenever they want. Printed versions should still be purchased and provided to patients, particularly for those who may not have easy access to the internet.
The new web app provides greater access to medical practitioners and patients. With the language translations, it further makes the Lettercase booklet more accessible to those for whom English is not their first language.
If you are caring for expectant mothers, supporting expectant mothers, or engaging in medical outreach, the new Lettercase web app is an important resource. Please spread the word on this new development that will deliver to expectant mothers the information they have identified as the kind of information they want and has been professionally recognized as the information resource expectant mothers should receive with a cell free DNA test result or diagnostic test result.
The Lettercase web app can be accessed at this link.
The Lettercase booklet can be purchased at this link.
The Prenatal Resources Tab has been updated to reflect this new access to the Lettercase materials.
The National Center for Prenatal & Postnatal Resources distributes the Lettercase booklet. See the standard disclaimer for my role as the National Center’s bioethics specialist.
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