By Jessica Gregg
The partnership flows easily between Kennedy Krieger Institute and Special Olympics Maryland—some might say it’s like a flawless baton handoff in a relay race.
For many years, Special Olympics Maryland has run the Healthy Athletes program, providing its athletes ages 8 and older with the opportunity to receive regular medical screenings. This pairs seamlessly with the Special Olympics mission of offering year-round sports training to people with intellectual disabilities, and in this effort, Kennedy Krieger and Special Olympics Maryland have become close partners.
Individuals with intellectual disabilities often have reduced access to quality medical care, an issue that has always been a concern to the Institute’s clinicians, who count among their patients many Special Olympians from around the Mid-Atlantic area. For many years, Kennedy Krieger staff members have assisted with Healthy Athletes screenings. This year, for example, they worked with other healthcare professionals and student volunteers to help with 660 screenings at the Special Olympics Maryland Summer Games, says Dr. Chris Joseph, senior director of physical therapy at Kennedy Krieger.
“These screenings are so important for finding out what their needs are,” Dr. Joseph says. “Many of the Healthy Athletes have aged out of seeing a pediatrician, and these screenings help get them back into the medical system.”
Two years ago, Special Olympics decided to expand its screenings to even younger children. A team of Kennedy Krieger clinicians—including a pediatrician, a physiatrist and a physical therapist—screened athletes, ages 2 to 7, at schools and community centers around the state. They also created the screening protocols for this new Healthy Young Athletes program, which can be replicated by Special Olympics programs across the country.
In 2023, Kennedy Krieger received the Golisano Leadership Award from Special Olympics Maryland in recognition of these efforts to increase healthcare access.
“This award was a wonderful surprise, because the work is something we would have done without recognition,” says Dr. Bradley L. Schlaggar, the Institute’s president and CEO. “It’s so essential to our mission and to what our patients need.”
These screenings are so important for finding out what their needs are.” – Dr. Chris Joseph
This year, Kennedy Krieger and Special Olympics Maryland collaborated on another new initiative, the Child and Family Health Intervention Pilot, which included health screenings for students at Kennedy Krieger’s Early Childhood Development and Education Center in Baltimore County and Southeast Early Head Start program in Baltimore City. Parents there also participated in one of Special Olympics’ family health forums, giving them access to even more health information.