Child Neurology
A child’s neurological system, much like that of an adult, is complex. The neurological system, which includes the brain, nerves and spinal cord, serves as the command center for your child’s entire body. It is also a rapidly changing work in progress: During the first five years of life, your child’s brain grows to nearly 90% of the size of an adult brain. Your child’s brain reaches its largest physical size at around age 11 for girls and 14 for boys, but it will not be fully developed or matured until the mid-20s.
Because of this, problems that arise in the brain or nervous system during childhood can cause serious complications and developmental delays. A child’s neurological system requires advanced, high-quality levels of care and treatment.
If your child has health concerns involving his or her head, neck, spine or brain, a child neurologist can help. Our providers are board-certified in pediatrics, neurology and child neurology, and they have access to leading-edge care for the diagnosis, evaluation, management and treatment of pediatric neurologic disorders and neurologic conditions.
Providers at our Kentucky Neuroscience Institute Clinic in Lexington see child neurology patients on an outpatient basis. If your child requires inpatient hospital neurology care, such as monitoring, he or she may stay at Golisano Children's at UK or at UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital. Both facilities are staffed by pediatric specialists and have access to MRI, video electroencephalogram and other tests to determine the treatment and care your child requires.
Child Neurology Specialties
UK HealthCare offers one of the best child neurology programs in the country and provides diagnosis and treatment for a wide variety of conditions, including:
- Brain injury
- Brain tumor
- Cerebral palsy
- Concussion
- Developmental disorders
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
- Headaches
- Hypoxic brain injuries
- Muscle weakness (myopathy)
- Neurofibromatosis
- Neurological problems of neonates (including seizures, strokes and hypoxic injuries) in conjunction with UK Neonatology
- Neuromuscular disorders
- Seizures
- Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
- Stroke
- Tics
- Tourette’s disorder
- Tuberous sclerosis
Why Choose UK HealthCare for Child Neurology?
Under new leadership in recent years, the team has expanded, both in size and level of experience. Over a dozen dedicated child neurologists and several advanced practice providers are equipped to treat a broad array of neurologic conditions.
Program highlights include:
- Dedicated child-neurology-trained epileptologists and epilepsy-monitoring rooms housed in Golisano Children's at UK so that young patients can be monitored, diagnosed and treated in a child-friendly environment. We offer a full array of treatment options, from medical management to surgical therapies.
- The only multidisciplinary headache clinic in the region focused on children, teenagers and young adults ages 25 and younger.
- Advanced treatment options, such as new genetic treatments for some children with spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy, as well as management of all neuromuscular disorders.
- Dedicated neuroimmunologist (multiple sclerosis), neonatal neurologist and movement disorders experts, allowing access to a full spectrum of advanced neurological care for any child.
- Neurology Evaluation and Management Optimization (NEMO) Clinic comprised of a child neurologist, speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists and more – reducing a typically months-long process of diagnosing neurological developmental disorders into a single-day visit.
- Partnership with DanceBlue Golisano Children’s at UK Hematology/Oncology Clinic. This multidisciplinary clinic includes neurosurgery and pediatric hematology-oncology and treats primary and secondary brain tumors in children.
- Access to and treatment by UK HealthCare’s Comprehensive Stroke Center, ensuring young stroke patients have access to the highest level of stroke care.
- Close collaboration with the Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs to make advanced neurologic care accessible and affordable to families in Eastern Kentucky.
