Research Frontiers

Laurie Blitz began to suspect that something was not quite right with her daughter as early as when she was a toddler. Erin seemed overly hyperactive, moving so much that even simple tasks like changing her diaper became lessons in patience and control. When she was old enough to walk, she would constantly run away, placing herself in danger.

Ask a young child what the toughest subject is in school, and he is likely to say math or reading. While there have been thousands of studies on reading disabilities and, consequently, methods developed for overcoming them there have been far fewer on math dysfunction. Michèle M. M.

Every morning, 3-year-old La'Nell Alewine and her 4-year-old sister, Ja'Nell, get dressed and make their way to preschool at the Dayspring Head Start Center in East Baltimore. There, the girls eat a healthy breakfast, play with their classmates and learn about the alphabet, colors and numbers.

The past 30 years have seen remarkable improvements in the treatment of childhood cancers. Children diagnosed with leukemia and other diseases once considered death sentences now typically survive at least five years. But brain cancer remains an ominous threat killing nearly 40% of children within five years of diagnosis, and leaving many survivors with permanent cognitive deficits as a result of surgeries and radiation therapies.

While ADHD is thought to occur more often in boys than in girls, there may be another reason why four times as many boys are diagnosed with the disorder. Girls with ADHD tend to demonstrate more subtle symptoms, although little research has been done to explain why. A newly launched Kennedy Krieger study aims to determine whether ADHD is associated with different brain characteristics in girls than in boys.

If you've ever doubted how quickly your life can be turned upside down, just ask the Bahen family. On Monday, Nov. 14, 2000, the Bahens' 5-year-old daughter Nicole joined her friends for her usual afternoon dance class. By Sunday Nov. 20, Nicole lay in intensive care recovering from surgery, unable to speak, roll over or swallow, nearly paralyzed on her right side. Such is the swift devastation of a pediatric brain tumor.

Kennedy Krieger recently received a major grant from the National Institutes of Health to further investigate Fragile X syndrome, the second most common cause of intellectual disability. The two-year, $300,000 grant will help a team led by Kennedy Krieger's Dr. Walter Kaufmann learn more about how the disorder manifests itself, which could make treating the symptoms of Fragile X easier.

To an outsider, it looks like the small boy is having fun with a baby-sitter. As he moves from toy to toy, his "sitter" follows him, occasionally placing her hands on his arms and legs. She tries to touch his head, but he pushes her hand away. She spends a lot of time pressing lightly on his chest. When he gets tired, she keeps applying light pressure as he becomes more and more relaxed. As the boy starts to nod off, she steps back, ending the session.

Researchers at Kennedy Krieger Institute are investigating two experimental treatments that it is hoped will slow or stop the progress of Alzheimer's disease in people with Down syndrome.

Since the late Dr. Andreas Rett first identified the syndrome that bears his name more than 50 years ago, doctors have learned to treat the seizures, reflux and other symptoms of the disorder but they have not yet learned to alleviate the neurological impairment it causes. Researchers at Kennedy Krieger will begin a new drug trial this summer that represents an important step toward achieving that goal.