The Neurology and Neurogenetics Clinics at Kennedy Krieger Institute provide diagnostic services, therapeutic interventions, and genetic counseling for a broad spectrum of disorders affecting the brain and central nervous system.
Who We Serve:
We focus on a wide range of conditions and disorders affecting the central nervous system in infants, children, and adolescents. We also see adults if we have special expertise in their disorder.
Some of the diagnoses that we treat and manage include:
- Autism
- Brain injury
- Brain malformations
- Cerebral palsy
- Epilepsy in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities
- Hydrocephalus
- Hypotonia and muscle coordination disorders
- Intellectual disabilities
- Kabuki syndrome
- Leukodystrophies
- Lysosomal disorders
- Metabolic disorders
- Mitochondrial disorders
- Movement disorders, including dystonia, dyskinesias, choreoathetosis
- Peroxisomal disorders
- Polymicrogyria
- Rett syndrome
- Stroke
- Sturge-Weber syndrome
- Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
- X-linked Adrenal Leukodystrophy
Our Team:
Our team of specialists are leaders in their field. They have extensive training from prestigious academic institutions and frequently publish innovative research in internationally respected medical publications and journals.
Our multidisciplinary team consists of physicians, nurses, genetic counselors, researchers, neuropsychologists, and other professionals with a range of specialties, including:
- Child neurology
- Neurodevelopmental disabilities
- Cognitive and behavioral neurology
- Sleep medicine
- Pediatrics
- Neurogenetics
- Medical genetics
- Teratology
As part of our comprehensive model, our team collaborates closely with other specialists in endocrinology, feeding disorders, speech pathology, psychiatry and psychology, pain management, physical and occupational therapy, and physical and rehabilitation medicine. These collaborations allow our patients to see multiple specialists all in one convenient location.
Our Approach:
As a major national and international referral center, we provide individualized care based on the most advanced knowledge of childhood neurological disorders in the world. We often see puzzling or unusual cases that have defied diagnosis, and successfully develop special treatment plans that are personalized for individual patients. In our multidisciplinary clinic, teams consisting of neurologists, geneticists, genetic researchers, and genetic counselors work together to offer accurate diagnoses and advanced treatments.
Like all programs at Kennedy Krieger, the faculty and staff of the Neurology and Neurogenetics Clinics are particularly experienced at managing chronic and severe disabilities in children. While some of our patients have mild neurological disorders (but otherwise normal development), many have more pervasive disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability. Our team of specialists will conduct a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of each patient's condition, as well as a care plan tailored to the patient's needs.
Although many of the disorders we manage cannot yet be cured, certain interventions can improve the lives of our patients and their families. Our neurologists work closely with experts in education, neuropsychology, behavioral psychology, social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, adaptive technology, and audiology, among other fields, helping us offer a full spectrum of interventions to help our patients reach their full potential.
During Your Visit:
New patients should expect a thorough evaluation, including a complete history and neurological exam, which typically takes at least an hour. We also examine previous medical records and brain images that are sent to us or brought to the appointment.
Clinic physicians also provide referrals for other appropriate therapies and offer follow-up treatment as needed. These visits are determined on a case-by-case basis in conjunction with your neurologist.
Research and Collaborations:
Faculty in the Neurology and Neurogenetics Clinics include leading scientists in pediatric neurological disease. We conduct innovative laboratory and clinical research in neurological and neurogenetic disorders, such as peroxisomal disorders, mitochondrial disorders, genetic epilepsies, Sturge-Weber syndrome, sleep disorders, and muscle disorders, as well as neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Our scientists are committed to conducting research that will lead to improved treatments for patients with neurological disorders.
Many of our researchers conduct research through the F.M. Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging at Kennedy Krieger, which develops advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques that represent the next generation of diagnostic tests. Our faculty members also conduct advanced EEG research through our Clinical Neurophysiology Laboratory and genetic diagnostic research through our Genetics Laboratories.
