Contents

1. Acknowledgements
2. Introduction
   1. About Bettercare
   2. Why decentralised learning?
   3. Free Bettercare Online Learning Platform
   4. Learning programmes
   5. Format of the courses
   6. Contributors
   7. Updating the course material
   8. Contact information
   9. Registration
3. 1 Introduction to congenital disorders
   1. Objectives
   2. Congenital disorders
   3. Causes of congenital disorders
   4. Chromosomal inheritance
   5. Inheritance of single gene defects
   6. Dominant inheritance
   7. Recessive inheritance
   8. Multifactorial congenital disorders
   9. Teratogens
   10. Different types of structural congenital disorders
   11. Case studies
4. 2 Care, prevention and counselling
   1. Objectives
   2. Management of congenital disorders in a community
   3. Caring for people with congenital disorders
   4. Prevention of congenital disorders
   5. Medical genetic screening
   6. Parents’ choices with prenatal diagnosis
   7. Genetic counselling
   8. Breaking bad news
   9. Case studies
5. 3 Chromosomal Disorders
   1. Objectives
   2. Introduction to Down syndrome
   3. The complications of Down syndrome
   4. Caring for children with Down syndrome
   5. Prevention
   6. Screening for Down syndrome
   7. Genetic counselling for Down syndrome
   8. Case studies
6. 4 Single gene disorders
   1. Objectives
   2. Introduction to single gene disorders
   3. Waardenburg syndrome
   4. Oculocutaneous albinism
   5. Haemophilia
   6. Case studies
7. 5 Multifactorial congenital disorders
   1. Objectives
   2. Introduction to multifactorial congenital disorders
   3. Introduction to neural tube defects
   4. Caring for infants and children with neural tube defects
   5. Genetic counselling for neural tube defects
   6. Prevention of neural tube defects
   7. Screening for neural tube defects
   8. Case studies
8. 6 Congenital disorders caused by teratogens
   1. Objectives
   2. Importance of teratogens
   3. Introduction to fetal alcohol syndrome
   4. The cause of fetal alcohol syndrome
   5. Recognising infants with fetal alcohol syndrome
   6. Growth and development in infants with fetal alcohol syndrome
   7. Care of children with fetal alcohol syndrome and their families
   8. Case studies
9. Addendum A: Clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, genetic counselling and prevention of common congenital disorders
10. Addendum B: Social grants available in South Africa for people with disability
    1. Qualifying requirements for social assistance
    2. Social grants for persons with disability
11. Addendum C: Down syndrome association contact details in South Africa
    1. Down Syndrome South Africa (National Office)
    2. Down Syndrome Association (Gauteng)
    3. Down Syndrome Association (Pretoria/Tshwane)
    4. Down Syndrome Association (Western Cape)
    5. Down Syndrome Association (Eastern Cape)
    6. Down Syndrome Support Cape
    7. Down Syndrome Association (Bloemfontein)
12. Photographs of congenital disorders