Your Child's Brain

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.

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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

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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 CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute is joined by Dr. Anne Comi, a pediatric neurologist, to discuss a specific rare disease and some potentially very promising progress in its treatment. Additionally, we will hear from Megan Lewis, mother of Tucker, who shares some insights of their journey with a rare disease. 

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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 colleagues Marcella Franczkowski, Assistant VP, and Executive Director of PACT, Sharon Holloway-Gentemann, the Director of PACT World of Care, Dr. Jackie Stone, Chief Clinical Officer as well as Sarah Monaghan, a parent of a graduate of PACT. The discussion focuses on how early childhood programs help optimize developmental outcomes, and will also look at some of the challenges faced by these programs and why such programs are so worthy of enhanced societal investment.

Resources to visit:

Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children www.dec-sped.org

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Developmental Milestones Checklist and Family Guidance from Early Head Start

NAEYC – Questions to Ask Your Child Care – checklist

National Association for the Education of Young Children - Readiness: Not a State of Knowledge, but a State of Mind

Children's Defense Fund-State of America's Children 2023--Early Education

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public and Private Preschool Enrollment From 2019-2021 at Its Lowest Since 2005*

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Fast Facts: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences*

Kaiser Family Foundation: Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers*

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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 the Blum-Moser Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurology at Kennedy Krieger, and leads the Moser Center for Leukodystrophies at Kennedy Krieger. Dr. Fatemi is also professor of neurology and pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Links to visit:

Rare Disease Network

https://www.rarediseasesnetwork.org

National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)

https://rarediseases.org/

Eunice Kennedy Shriver Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (EKS-IDDRCs)

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/research/supported/eksiddrc

Kennedy Krieger Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Research Center

https://www.kennedykrieger.org/iddrc

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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 Institute and Johns Hopkins Medicine

Tourette Association of America

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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 by two of his colleagues: Dr. Heather Riordan, a child neurologist and medical director of the Phelps Center for Cerebral Palsy and Dr. Aaron Hauptman, a pediatric and adult neuropsychiatrist, and the associate director of Neuropsychiatry to discuss cerebral palsy with a special emphasis on the mental health challenges with the disorder.
 
 Related links:

Phelps Center for Cerebral Palsy
https://www.kennedykrieger.org/patient-care/centers-and-programs/cerebral-palsy-and-neurodevelopmental-medicine
 
 Bennett Blazers
https://www.kennedykrieger.org/community/initiatives/physically-challenged-sports 

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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 important topic.

Dr. Brad Schlaggar, CEO and President of Kennedy Krieger is joined with two of his colleagues.

• Dr. Cristina Sadowsky, a physiatrist, is the clinical director for the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger.  She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Dr. Rebecca Martin, an occupational therapist, is the Manager of Clinical Education and Training at the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger. She is an assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
• He is also joined today by a good friend and special guest. Van Brooks. Van is the founder and Executive Director of the Safe Alternative Foundation for Education.  SAFE, for short, is a non-profit organization in West Baltimore that believes that all students should have access to a quality education and the resources and opportunities that will assist them in achieving their goals. SAFE provides afterschool, weekend, and summer learning educational opportunities through vocational programs that provide real world application as well as exposing students to the world outside of their community. Van was one of the very first patients in our International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, 18 years ago. In addition, he is a member of Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Board of Directors.

Links to visit:

International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger - SpinalCordRecovery.org

Safe Alternative Foundation for Education - Safealternative.org 

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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. Katheryn Boada, Director of Speech-Language Pathology and Assistive Technology and .Dr. Amy Gaskin, Director of Audiology. to talk about the connection between hearing and the development of speech and language in children.

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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.

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