The number of babies born with Down�s syndrome has increased since pre-natal screening was introduced in the late 1980s, new research has revealed.

The number of babies born with Down's syndrome has increased since pre-natal screening was introduced in the late 1980s, new research has revealed.

Figures show that parents are more willing to bring a disabled child into the world than they were two decades ago, and many of the people surveyed said that attitudes towards children with Down's syndrome had improved in recent years.

Following the introduction of screening for the condition in 1989, the number of babies born with Down's syndrome each year initially fell.

However, between 2000 and 2006, the most recent year for which figures are available, the number born each year increased from 594 to 749 - surpassing the birth rate recorded in the 1980s.

Figures from the National Down's Syndrome Cytogenetic Register show that the number of children born with the condition rose by around 15% in the first half of this decade.

Though the figures relate only to England and Wales, Pandora Summerfield, director of Down's Syndrome Scotland, said the findings would also reflect the situation north of the border.

She said: "It's good to hear that parents are making the right decision.

"There's still a lot of prejudice, but people with Down's syndrome are achieving more than they used to. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy - if society believes they can achieve things, then they will.

"Over the last 50 years there's been a real shift in attitudes. Long-term hospitals closed, which meant we have people with Down's syndrome living in the community. People aren't afraid of the unknown any more."

Ms Summerfield said that the figures were bolstered by growing numbers of women having babies in later life.

"We're seeing women having kids later. Maybe they don't feel their chances of getting pregnant again are very good, so they're more likely to keep the child they do have."

The chances of a baby being born with Down's syndrome increase with the mother's age. For women under 25 years old, fewer than one in every thousand babies are born with Down's syndrome, but for mothers in their mid-forties the risk increases to as much as one in thirty.

No figures are available for the number of Scottish Down's syndrome births, according to Ms Summerfield, but she said that in the absence of any underlying social factors the rate from England and Wales could accurately be extrapolated to cover Scotland.

The findings were released following a BBC Radio 4 documentary last night which examined attitudes towards babies with Down's syndrome.

The Down's Syndrome Association, in conjunction with the BBC, surveyed 1000 of its members to find out why so many were choosing to have Down's children despite the availability of pre-natal screening.

While religious or anti-abortion beliefs were cited in about one-third of cases, many parents said they felt attitudes towards people affected by Down's Syndrome had improved in recent years. Others said they had been influenced by coming into contact with people who suffered from Down's Syndrome or other disabilities.

The condition, widely seen as a form of insanity during much of the 20th century, has been better understood since the 1980s.

Several high-profile Down's syndrome sufferers have entered the public consciousness in the past decade, including the Bafta award-winning actress Paula Sage, from Cumbernauld, and the EastEnders character Janet Mitchell.

Carol Boys, chief executive of the Down's Syndrome Association, said the condition was now far more accepted than it had been in years gone by.

Announcing the survey's findings, she said: "We are all very surprised by this. It wasn't what any of us working in the field would have anticipated and it seems to show that more parents are thinking more carefully before opting for pre-natal screening and termination - that being born with Down's syndrome is being seen in a different light today.

"When I and others had our babies it was a very different world - those with Down's syndrome were treated very differently. Now there is much greater inclusion and acceptance, with mainstream education having a huge role."