As students get ready to go back to school soon, Kennedy Krieger President and CEO Dr. Brad Schlaggar and his guest, Dr. Nancy Grasmick, former superintendent of schools for the state of Maryland, discuss educating students with neurodevelopmental concerns, the importance of training teachers to meet the needs of those students and what can be done to improve the educational outcomes of all students.

In this month’s episode of Your Child’s Brain Dr. Brad Schlaggar, President and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute, is joined by Jim Schmutz and Abby DiGilio from Special Olympics Maryland to discuss the power of sports and how participation in sports enables individuals with developmental disabilities to shatter stereotypes and succeed, not only on the playing field, but also in life.

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.

We are in the midst of an unprecedented mental health crisis in this country that has especially impacted children. According to experts, an estimated one in five youth has an undiagnosed mental, emotional or behavioral disorder—yet many do not get the help they need. May is known as Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month and in this month’s episode of Your Child’s Brain, Dr. Brad Schlaggar is joined by Dr. Ernestine Briggs-King to discuss the impact that traumatic stress can have on a child’s social and cognitive development, academic performance and overall well-being.

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.

This month marks five years since much of the United States was under a state of emergency due to the infectious disease COVID-19 and the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2. Thankfully, primarily due to vastly improved immunity resulting from vaccines and natural immunity, the mortality of COVID-19 has dropped significantly. But one of the most challenging consequences of the infection is the condition we refer to now as long COVID, a disabling legacy of the pandemic and the focus of this month’s episode of Your Child’s Brain- especially as it relates to children. Listen to Dr. Brad Schlaggar and his guest, Dr. Laura Malone as they discuss what we have learned in the past five years and what is on the future for treating children with this condition.

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.

Discover how neuropsychologists help children overcome cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges. Dr. Brad Schlaggar and experts from Kennedy Krieger discuss the benefits of evaluations, joined by a parent sharing their experience.

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. 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.

We humans, typically, have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, we have an extra chromosome or we are missing one. Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder that occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of their 21st chromosome.