No. You won’t know until later. Most chidlren with Down syndrome end up in the mild to moderate range. Some even test in the normal range for intelligence.

All you can do is make sure your child gets the appropriate early intervention – speech therapy, etc. – and lots of stimulation. Don’t give up just because he/she doesn’t get something quickly -they just take longer to figure things out, but it doesnt’ mean they will never get it.

While it’s NOT a hard and fast rule…you should have a good idea by the time your child reaches 12 months. Ask your doctor and child specialist to help you gauge and be to reexamine at several points in his or her life. Many kids will surprise you though. I knew one child with Down’s from my student teaching. I really would have thought he would be diagnosed with mild retardation…but his hormones side tracked him so much he’s stubborn now ..unless, in his words, there’s “Hot chick” with nice legs. Then there’s another child I had several years ago that was diagnosed at the moderate/severe level and is now working fairly independently and using the city bus.

I agree with the earlier answer that early intervention is key and will be the second greatest factor in the child’s future.