We humans, typically, have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, we have an extra chromosome or we are missing one. Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder that occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of their 21st chromosome. Down syndrome is the most frequent of the chromosomal disorders in humans, occurring in approximately 1 in 700 births in the US. With improved care of often life-threatening clinical challenges,...

How does experience and one’s  environment influence the early development of our brains? We’ve known for a long time that  this question does not simply boil down to “Nature” vs “”nurture”, a false dichotomy. Instead, brain development might best be thought of as a cascading interaction between nature and nurture that unfolds over time. Twenty five years ago, the National Academy of Sciences published a landmark report called From Neurons to Neighborhoods which dove deep into this...

In this episode of Your Child’s Brain, Dr. Brad Schlaggar is joined by his Kennedy Krieger colleague, Dr. Doris Leung, to discuss a set of diseases of muscle that we refer to collectively as muscular dystrophy (MD). Muscular dystrophy is actually a group of rare genetic diseases that cause progressive weakness and degeneration of muscles. Overall, the muscular dystrophies vary in age of onset, severity, and the pattern of the affected muscles. A general principle shared by all forms of MD is...

Join Dr. Brad Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute and Dr. Lisa Carey, the Assistant Director of the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education as well as an education specialist for the Neuropsychology Department at Kennedy Krieger. Accommodations for college require self-advocacy. It is the student themselves who must request those accommodations at the school—not the parents. Services such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, reading support, and...

In the United States alone, there are nearly 20 million children with developmental, cognitive, behavioral, and/or learning disorders. It is widely recognized that the needs of children with these issues are growing in number and complexity while, at the same time, a critical shortage of access to physician specialists is resulting in delayed diagnoses, longer wait times for treatment and, consequently, poorer outcomes.  On this month’s episode, Kennedy Krieger president and CEO, Dr. Brad...

On this month’s episode, we are going to discuss Functional Neurological Disorders or FND.  Patients with this disorder are often stigmatized and, unfortunately, criticized for seemingly faking a disorder.  The reality is that the symptoms of functional neurological disorders are real, can cause significant morbidity, but, thankfully, can most often be remedied by prompt identification, education, and appropriate treatment. Kennedy Krieger president and CEO, Dr. Brad Schlaggar is joined by...

May is Children’s Mental Health Awareness month and as part of that recognition, join Dr. Brad Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger and his guest Dr. Matt Edelstein, director of the Brief Treatment Clinic at the Institute, as they discuss challenging behaviors in children and how those behaviors can have a cascading impact at multiple levels of a family system. For the child, such behaviors can impede social, emotional, and academic functioning. For caregivers, they can influence...

April is known internationally as Autism Acceptance Month. As part of that recognition, join Dr. Brad Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger and his guests Drs. Amy Keefer and Roma Vasa from the Center for Autism, Services, Science and Innovation, to discuss the anxiety disorders common in individuals with autism and discuss why this population may be particularly vulnerable to the comorbid symptoms of anxiety, as well as treatment options and research being done in this field. See...

On this month’s episode Kennedy Krieger President and CEO, Dr. Brad Schlaggar is joined by Dr. Janet Lam, a pediatric neurologist and an expert in sleep medicine and the director of the Sleep Disorders Clinic and Laboratory at Kennedy Krieger. The two will delve into sleep disorders in children, especially for those with neurodevelopmental conditions.  Resources Kennedy Krieger Sleep Disorders Clinic and Lab About Sleep Disorders National Sleep Foundation See omnystudio.com/listener for...

There are over 7000 identified rare diseases that impact over 300 million people worldwide. And a disproportionate number of those rare diseases affect the developing brain and nervous system. Having any given rare disease is indeed rare. But having a rare disease is, in fact common. February, is rare disease awareness month and the last day of February is recognized internationally as Rare Disease Day.  For this month’s episode, Dr. Brad Schlaggar, pediatric neurologist, and president and...

We’ve known for some time now that the first years of a child’s life constitute a very important period for the development of that child’s brain. Because the brain is responsible for cognition, language, movement, emotion, self-regulation, and essentially every aspect of human behavior, it stands to reason that optimizing those first few years can have a significant impact on the rest of that child’s life. In this episode, Kennedy Krieger CEO and President Brad Schlaggar will be joined by...

Join us for the 30th episode of Your Child’s Brain. In this episode, we reflect back on the topics that we discussed over the past 2 ½ years and talk about the progress that has been made in understanding and treating disorders of the developing brain and nervous system. Dr. Brad Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger, is joined by his colleague Dr. Ali Fatemi, a pediatric neurologist and neuroscientist, who, in addition to serving as Chief Medical Officer at Kennedy Krieger, holds...

Tourette syndrome and tics—what are these two neurological disorders, how do they differ and how are they treated is the subject of this month’s episode of Your Child’s Brain.  Join Dr. Brad Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger, along with  four of his colleagues from the Institute’s Tourette Syndrome Center of Excellence. They are: Dr. Harvey Singer Dr. Marco Grados Dr. Joseph McGuire Dr. Shannon Dean Links to visit: Tourette Syndrome Center of Excellence at Kennedy Krieger...

People with disabilities or chronic health conditions, such as cerebral palsy, may be as much as 3-4 times more likely to develop depression and anxiety disorders. Research suggests this link is not necessarily related to the severity of a person’s disability but is instead tied to things like levels of stress, management of pain and fatigue, coping skills, or family and social support. In this episode of Your Child’s Brain, Dr. Brad Schlaggar, President and CEO of Kennedy Krieger, is joined...

How does the brain communicate with the rest of the body? One critically important way for that communication to happen is via the spinal cord, a really complex bundle of nerve cells and fibers, embedded in a canal that is protected by our spinal columns. The spinal cord makes it possible for information to flow from the brain to the rest of the body and for information from the body to flow up the brain. September is Spinal Cord Awareness Month and we are pleased to be discussing this...

Early recognition of hearing loss---whether an individual has complete loss or is hard of hearing---has significant implications for optimizing outcomes for communicative functioning, whether it’s an intervention to restore hearing, learning to use sign language, implementation of alternative or augmentative forms of communication, early detection is key.   On this month’s episode, Dr. Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute  Is joined by his colleagues: Dr....

Check out the latest episode of Your Child’s Brain. Join Dr. Brad Schlaggar President and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute and three colleagues: Dr. Joy Salpekar, a pediatric neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Roma Vasa, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and Dr. Aaron Hauptman, pediatric and adult neuropsychiatrist as we discuss the specialty area of neuropsychiatry, in particular, developmental and pediatric neuropsychiatry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The focus of this podcast is on an aspect of sickle cell disease that doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves—the neurological and developmental implications of the disease. These conditions may severely impact children’s functional independence, mental health, quality of life and educational pursuits, and may increase their risk of future complications. Dr. Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute, is joined by Dr. Eboni Lance.  Dr. Lance is the Medical...

Check out the latest episode of Your Child’s Brain. Join Dr. Brad Schlaggar President and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute and his guests Heidi Daniel,  president and CEO at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, and Dr. Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, a developmental neuroscientist at Kennedy Krieger Institute as we discuss children's reading, literacy, and the impact of technology on both. Links to visit: Enoch Pratt library Summer Reading Program https://www.prattlibrary.org/summer-break The...

Evidence suggests that children and teens with autism are at an increased risk for experiencing a mental health crisis.  In this episode of Your Child’s Brain, we speak with a panel of experts about the co-occurrence of mental health issues in autistic children and teens, the signs and symptoms of mental health concerns, how those signs and symptoms can differ in young people with autism, and ways that parents can advocate for their child, not only in a crisis situation, but also in the...

Dr. Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute welcomes Dr. Lisa Jacobson, a pediatric neuropsychologist and Dr. Lisa Carey, an education specialist, to discuss the late effects of cancer treatment on children, especially as it relates to school and learning.    Here are helpful links for people who wish additional...

February is nationally recognized as Rare Disease Month and to highlight this,  Dr. Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute, welcomes Dr. Jacqueline Harris, a pediatric neurologist at Kennedy Krieger and Abby Tower, mother of five-year old Bay to discuss rare diseases and in particular KAT6a, a very rare disorder impacting Bay and her family.    Guests for this month's episode include: Dr. Brad Schlaggar - President and CEO of Kennedy Krieger and professor of...

On this episode of Your Child’s Brain, Dr. Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute, welcomes Dr. Amy Bastian, chief science officer and director of the Center for Movement Studies at Kennedy Krieger  to discuss pediatric clinical research as a way forward to better care and to developing treatments for childhood disorders and injuries. Links to visit: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ https://www.kennedykrieger.org/research/participate-in-research See...

On this month's episode rare diseases are discussed. Including the difficulties in diagnosing these rare disease and the importance of research in developing effective treatments. On this episode, Dr. Bradley Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute welcomes: Dr. Ali Fatemi - Chief Medical Officer at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Director of the Moser Center for Leukodystrophies and an investigator at the Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger. Dr. Fatemi is...