Blog | Page 38 of 158 | Boston Children's Answers

Making autism evaluations accessible: Boston Children’s tests virtual options

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Veronica Giarla | Primary Care

Tags: autism, autism research, autism spectrum disorder, telehealth

At this time the virtual autism diagnosis program is only available to internal Boston Children’s Hospital primary care patients who receive care at the Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center or at Boston Children’s at Martha Eliot. Many obstacles can delay a diagnosis of autism in children, including language barriers, waiting lists for evaluation, and access ... Read More

Tagged: autism, autism research, autism spectrum disorder, telehealth

Advancing mother-child health globally: Grace Chan MD, MPH, PhD

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, People

Tags: critical care, global health, health equity, infectious diseases, newborn medicine, pregnancy, prematurity, research rising stars

First in an ongoing series profiling researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital. Globally, five million children die annually before the age of 5. Forty percent of these deaths are in the first month — and many are preventable. Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD, finds these numbers unacceptable. They contrast starkly with U.S. medicine, including at Boston ... Read More

Tagged: critical care, global health, health equity, infectious diseases, newborn medicine, pregnancy, prematurity, research rising stars

A cerebral palsy journey lands in Boston: Ashlyn’s hip surgery

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: brain health, cerebral palsy, hip preservation, orthopedics

Eleven-year-old Ashlyn’s parents describe her as spicy, strong willed, and determined. Those qualities have served her well through a medical journey that started soon after she was born with cerebral palsy (CP). Ashlyn has had multiple operations to manage the symptoms of CP, but when it came to the question of hip surgery, her parents ... Read More

Tagged: brain health, cerebral palsy, hip preservation, orthopedics

Changing the world: Baby Denver leads the way after first-of-its-kind procedure for VOGM

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: brain health, fetal medicine, MFCC, surgery, vein of galen malformation

Denver Coleman is less than 2 months old, but she’s already helped blaze a trail for other children and families, a feat she accomplished before she was even born. Denver, who was diagnosed with a vein of Galen malformation — a type of rare blood vessel abnormality inside the brain — in utero, is the ... Read More

Tagged: brain health, fetal medicine, MFCC, surgery, vein of galen malformation

One athlete, two hip surgeries, three Ironmans

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: hip impingement, hip preservation, orthopedics, sports injury, sports medicine

Trevor Spence grew up playing just about every sport he could. When he was 3, he laced up his first pair of hockey skates. When he was 10, he medaled in the Junior Olympics 1500-meter Track and Field event. Throughout middle and high school, he travelled to tournaments for hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. “I did ... Read More

Tagged: hip impingement, hip preservation, orthopedics, sports injury, sports medicine

Inspired by her daughter, one mom helps families navigate complex epilepsy

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Katie Paradis | Patient Stories

Tags: epilepsy, microcephaly, neuroscience, seizures

Colleen Gagnon felt something wasn’t right soon after her daughter Niamh was born but tried to convince herself she was just overthinking. Fighting her instincts as a nurse and second-time mom, Colleen tried to link the dimple in Niamh’s forehead and darting eye movements to her being born six weeks early. But an eye doctor’s ... Read More

Tagged: epilepsy, microcephaly, neuroscience, seizures

Tiny, shiny, and dangerous: What families should know about button batteries

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Jessica Cerretani | Health and Parenting

Tags: Esophageal and Airway Treatment Center, safety

Button batteries may be bright, shiny, and eye catching, but they also have a dark side — especially for kids. Look around your home and you’ll likely find these small discs hiding in plain sight, where they’re used to power everything from watches and scales to remote controls and toys. When curious children encounter them, ... Read More

Tagged: Esophageal and Airway Treatment Center, safety

Another angle on Alzheimer’s: CSF, proteomics, and metabolic enzymes

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: alzheimers disease, metabolism, neurology, neuroscience, proteomics

Currently there are no objective, easily assessed diagnostic markers for Alzheimer’s disease, and no good therapeutic options. Taking an agnostic approach, proteomics expert Hanno Steen, PhD, and neurobiologist Judith Steen, PhD, who share a lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, teamed up to analyze proteomics data from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that bathes the brain, combining ... Read More

Tagged: alzheimers disease, metabolism, neurology, neuroscience, proteomics

BMI and the adolescent brain: A concerning connection

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Nancy Fliesler | Clinical, Research

Tags: adolescent medicine, neuroscience, obesity

We all know that obesity is a growing epidemic in children and adults. A large national study now finds that preteens carrying excess weight have notable differences in cognitive performance, brain structures, and brain circuitry when compared to preteens with normal body-mass index (BMI). Funded by the National Science Foundation’s Harnessing the Data Revolution initiative, ... Read More

Tagged: adolescent medicine, neuroscience, obesity

(Virtually) visiting the home to help control childhood asthma

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Albert McKeon | Clinical, Research

Tags: asthma, pulmonology, telehealth

Many children have difficulty taking their asthma medicine on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s a matter of feeling well and deciding not to take the medication; other times, it’s simply forgetting. But some children also don’t know how to properly use an asthma inhaler, or they can’t access their medicine in the first place. A ... Read More

Tagged: asthma, pulmonology, telehealth