T21 Compass™ — your T21 copilot

Dotted chromosome ribbon from the book cover

Built by a family raising a child with T21.

A clearer next step for your family.

Trisomy 21 (T21) is the medical name for Down syndrome. T21 Compass gives you clear, sourced answers and helps you plan what to ask next.

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If your child needs urgent medical help, call 911 or your doctor now.

Built by a family raising a child with T21.

Trisomy 21 (T21) is the medical name for Down syndrome. Whichever words you heard first, you shouldn't have to spend hours searching for a good answer.

T21 Compass gives you clear, sourced answers and helps you plan what to ask next. Why we built this

Why we built this

When our child was born with Trisomy 21, we did what most families do. We searched. Late at night, between appointments, in hospital hallways. Good answers existed, but they were scattered across textbooks, guidelines and forums, and none of them knew our child.

So I wrote the book I wished someone had handed us, and then we built Compass to make it answer back. Every answer points to where it came from, so you can check it, print it, and bring it to your care team.

This is a small project made by people who live it. It will keep getting better, and we will keep telling you exactly what it can and cannot do.

Samuel Solomon · Author & founder

Read our story

Cover of Trisomy 21 in the 21st Century by Samuel Solomon

The book behind Compass · Free chapters

Trisomy 21 in the 21st Century. Free chapters to read.

Navigating challenges, embracing innovations, and empowering lives. Every Compass answer starts from these pages and the clinical guidance they cite. Read free chapters online, download the sample, or order the full book in print. No email address required.

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First edition · Leanpub, revised 2025 · Paperback September 2026 · File sizes shown on the download page

What would help today?

Pick where you are. Each guide is free and open to everyone.

A new diagnosis

What the words mean, what happens in the first months, and who can help.

Start here →

Preparing for a doctor visit

Which check-ups to expect at each age, and questions worth asking.

Get ready →

School support (US)

Early Intervention (EI), the Individualized Education Program (IEP), and your rights.

Understand the process →

Planning for adult life

Health, work, housing and independence as your child grows up.

Look ahead →

Ask in your own words.No medical vocabulary needed.

See where answers come from.Every answer names its sources.

Plan your next conversation.Leave with questions to bring to your care team.

See the answer, check the source

This is how Compass answers look, exactly as the product shows them. Free members get instant answers a person has already checked. The deeper tier runs live AI research when the question is new.

Family mode Free · instant ✓ Verified answer DRAFT · copy pass

Our baby was just diagnosed with Down syndrome. What should we do in the first month?

First, take a breath. Your baby is a baby first, and most of what matters this month is what matters for any newborn: feeding, sleep and time together.

Two things are worth asking your pediatrician about early: a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram), because heart differences are common in babies with Trisomy 21 and are very treatable when found early, and a referral to Early Intervention (EI), the free program that supports development from birth.

A good next step is to bring a short list of questions to your next visit. Compass can help you write it.

SOURCES

AI can make mistakes. Important decisions belong with you and your care team.

Family mode Deeper tier · live AI research AI-generated answer DRAFT · copy pass

Is there anything new on sleep apnea in kids with Down syndrome?

Sleep apnea (pauses in breathing during sleep) is common in children with Down syndrome and is easy to miss, because many children do not snore loudly or seem tired.

Current guidance recommends a sleep study for every child with Trisomy 21 by around age 4, even without symptoms. Recent research is looking at newer treatments beyond tonsil removal, including a small implanted device for older children who cannot use a CPAP mask.

This answer was generated live from the sources below and has not yet been checked by a person. A good question for your care team: has my child had a sleep study, and if not, when should we schedule one?

SOURCES

AI can make mistakes. Important decisions belong with you and your care team.

How answers work

How we earn your trust

Only things that are true today. When something changes, this list changes with it.

Sourced answersEvery answer comes from the book and named clinical guidance, and shows you where.

Checked before deliveryAnswers are validated against their sources before you see them. Verified answers were also reviewed by a person.

We never train AI on your dataYour questions and notes are yours. They are not used to train any model.

Analytics only with consentWe measure nothing until you say yes. Saying no changes nothing about what you can use.

EncryptedYour data is encrypted in transit and at rest.

Knowledge base last updated: shown live on How answers work

And the 80% pledge: 80% of the book's proceeds go back to the Down syndrome community. Read the pledge

Our pledge

80% of the book's proceeds go back to the community.

55% to local Down syndrome organizations and 25% to global ones, using a published formula so you can follow every dollar.

We're not asking for donations — this is simply where what we earn goes.

How the pledge works

55%
Local organizations

25%
Global organizations

For professionals

Clinicians, therapists and educators get the same sourcing standard with more depth and clinical vocabulary. Same library, different register.

Professional mode

✓ Verified answer DRAFT

Q: Thyroid screening schedule for pediatric patients with T21?

Health supervision guidance recommends TSH at birth (via newborn screen), repeat at 6 and 12 months, then annually; add free T4 and consider antibody testing when TSH is elevated. Lower threshold for testing if growth velocity, energy or behavior change. Congenital and acquired hypothyroidism are both more common in T21; subclinical elevation is frequent and often monitored rather than treated.

AAP health supervision guidance (edition to confirm)
Trisomy 21 in the 21st Century, endocrine chapter

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