Delivering a Down Syndrome Diagnosis with Confidence and Compassion: AAP Guidelines Meet the SPIKES Strategy
Delivering a Down Syndrome Diagnosis with Confidence and Compassion: AAP Guidelines Meet the SPIKES Strategy If you've ever had to deliver difficult news to a patient or family — and let's be honest, most of us have — you know the weight of those moments. The clinical knowledge matters, but how you communicate can shape a family's trajectory for years to come. A powerful session at the NAPNAP 2026 National Conference in Pittsburgh brought this truth into sharp focus, pairing the updated AAP health supervision guidelines for Down syndrome with a structured communication framework called SPIKES. The session was co-presented by Kristina Banks, DNP, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC, Specialty Director of Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs at Case Western University, and Katharine Roanleigh, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CPNP-PC — a fellow NP who received a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis for her own son in December 2023. Together, they modeled what evidence-based care looks like when it's...