Your Child's Brain

What do we know about the health benefits of exercise and other physical activity for children? We know it builds strong muscles and bones, helps keep children at a healthy weight, and can contribute to better sleep. But wait—can regular exercise boost a child’s brain power? Find out when Dr. Brad Schlaggar, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger, and his guest Dr. Autumn Ivy discuss the fascinating connection between physical activity and brain development in children.

April is known internationally as Autism Acceptance Month, providing an opportunity to think about and deepen our understanding of the complexities of this neurodevelopmental diagnosis and the varied lived experiences of people who have been diagnosed with autism. Over the decades since autism was first described, there have been there have been significant changes not only in how we diagnose autism, but also in our understanding of autism and its causes. To share this conversation during Autism Acceptance Month with Dr. Brad Schlaggar, President and CEO of Kennedy Krieger is his guest: Dr. Rebecca Landa, Founder and executive director of the Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation.

February is Rare Disease Month---a month-long focus on rare diseases, culminating on rare disease day, February 28th. Currently more than 7,000 rare diseases have been identified with a significant proportion of them involving the developing brain and nervous system.

Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurologic disorders seen in children and adults, in fact, 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. It can occur on its own or alongside other health conditions of the brain. Despite it being relatively common, there are many myths, misunderstandings---as well as a great deal of stigma associated with epilepsy. Join Kennedy Krieger’s CEO Dr. Brad Schlaggar and his colleagues from the Institute and Johns Hopkins as they address those topics, as well as approaches to diagnosis and treatment, and what research holds in store for pediatric patients with epilepsy. Resources Kennedy Krieger epilepsy resources https://www.kennedykrieger.org/epilepsy-services-at-kennedy-krieger-institute/epilepsy-resources Epilepsy Foundation https://www.epilepsy.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 question. In this month’s episode of Your Child’s Brain, join Dr. Brad Schlaggar and his guests.as they reflect on this influential report and discuss how early experiences, environments and exposures influence the developing brain early experiences, environments and exposures influence the developing brain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 instructional assistants, which may have been a part of a student’s IEP, are not a part of college accommodations. Additionally, since many students live on a college campus, there may be additional accommodations to consider for housing, dining, and recreation. Listen as they dive into the process of requesting accommodations and the importance of working with the college’s Disability Support office. Families need to start preparing their child early for this change so that students have the self-advocacy skills to be successful in college. Resources for students and families: Understood.org has great resources for understanding disability services in higher education Kennedy Krieger has a guide specifically for college students with a history of cancer. The US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights offers a guide of student rights and responsibilities in postsecondary education. Edutopia has a helpful blog post on this topic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 stress, mood, feelings of confidence, and even undermine a sense of parental competence. Aggressive behaviors can cause injury. Finally, for the family as a whole, challenging behaviors can tax relationships and have negative repercussions both within and beyond the walls of the household.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.