[1] In 1959 Brinkworth read of the finding by Lejeune that Down syndrome was the result of an extra chromosome[2] At the time, there was much speculation about the relative influence of heredity or environment on children's performance.
Brinkworth tested the relative effects of these factors by giving environmental stimulation to very young children with Down syndrome, to see if their performance could be improved and the consequences of their genetic condition counteracted.
He contacted Lejeune and began a fruitful collaboration with the French doctor in research into the treatment of children with Down syndrome through environmental means – diet and stimulation.
The results were written up in Brinkworth's dissertation at the University of Birmingham, 1967, with the title 'The Effects of Early Training on the Mongoloid Infant.
In that year he produced, with Dr. Joseph Collins, a 70-page booklet "Improving Mongol Babies," published by the Northern Ireland Region of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children (now MENCAP).
Realising the need to formalise his work and have a base to which parents could bring their children for assessment and advice, Brinkworth founded the Down's Babies Association in 1970 with headquarters at Quinborne Community Centre in Birmingham.
In the early years, Brinkworth continued to produce what he called 'schedules' of detailed instructions to parents on physical, verbal and social stimulation and on diet, and several further editions of the book were published.
Brinkworth's daughter Francoise developed many skills, passing her driving test, learning to read music and play the piano, becoming fluent in French, and living independently in a flat.
In 1986, Brinkworth and Francoise featured on a 30-minute video, being interviewed about their experiences and views under the title Current Perspectives on Down's Syndrome, produced by the Media Resource Centre, Darwin, Australia.
[10] Brinkworth was a staunch Roman Catholic and he, like Jerome Lejeune, was vehemently opposed to screening and abortion as a means to prevent Down syndrome.
[1] This is how Brinkworth ends the piece he wrote called 'Towards a full and independent life' for a Down's Children's Association information sheet in 1982:[3] "For those who are cast up as strangers on our shores, we owe a duty of hospitality and tolerance.
In enabling them to develop to their fullest potential we also serve ourselves, as an increasing number of these children grow up to play a modest but useful part in the life of the nation".