Kennedy Krieger Institute

Former State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick has joined the staff of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a renowned special education and research institution, where she will lead a new Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education.  The Institute announced this week that Grasmick, who started her career teaching deaf children at William S. Baer School in Baltimore, will serve as the director of the newly formed center which they said...

It's a dream Ida Heck never really expected to come true. Her family has raised about $1 million since 2005 for research into the rare disorder that afflicts her 8-year-old daughter, Jenna, resulting in cognitive deficits, seizures, long-lasting migraines, glaucoma in one eye and a red birthmark on the right side of her face. She's been driven by a fervent hope that the money would help finance a breakthrough. Yet she had her doubts: "So often you give and give and give and never hear of any findings.

Sometimes the appearance of a birthmark catches a new parent by surprise. Physicians are often quick to offer reassurance that most birthmarks are harmless, and many will shrink or disappear over time. Although that's true, a birthmark can also be the key to early identification of a rare disorder called Sturge-Weber Syndrome. Dr. Anne Comi, director of the Hunter Nelson Sturge-Weber Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute, tells us how to determine when a birthmark might be a sign of something more.

Kennedy Krieger Institute has announced a new program that will offer free autism screenings to infants between five and 10 months who have a sibling with autism.  “We launched this initiative to increase the likelihood of identifying children most at risk for ASD,” said Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger. “My hope is that Maryland families will take advantage of this opportunity to seek help sooner and not miss out on early intervention, which can improve lifelong learning, communication and social skills.” For more information or to schedule an appointment visit Kennedy Kreiger's website or call 443-923-7892.

The basketball players settle into drills with the precision and fluidity of a vintage squad - despite the fact that many of them cannot move their bodies from the waist down. Thanks in part to Gerry Herman, they're a wheelchair team to be reckoned with - and among the favorites in April's national championship tournament. For more than 20 years, he and wife Gwena have been co-directors of the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Physically Challenged Sports and Recreation Program, making track stars out of youngsters who can't walk, basketball players out of those who can't jump, and confident striders of those whose sudden falls make the able-bodied gasp.

It's a dream Ida Heck never really expected to come true. Her family has raised about $1 million since 2005 for research into the rare disorder that afflicts her 8-year-old daughter, Jenna, resulting in cognitive deficits, seizures, long-lasting migraines, glaucoma in one eye and a red birthmark on the right side of her face. She's been driven by a fervent hope that the money would help finance a breakthrough. Yet she had her doubts: "So often you give and give and give and never hear of any findings.

Kennedy Krieger Institute has announced a new program that will offer free autism screenings to infants between five and 10 months who have a sibling with autism.  “We launched this initiative to increase the likelihood of identifying children most at risk for ASD,” said Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger. “My hope is that Maryland families will take advantage of this opportunity to seek help sooner and not miss out on early intervention, which can improve lifelong learning, communication and social skills.” For more information or to schedule an appointment visit Kennedy Kreiger's website or call 443-923-7892.

A headline for the obituary of Dr. Hugo Moser in Wednesday's editions of The Sun described him as a "Hopkins doctor." While Dr. Moser was on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, his principal work was with the Kennedy Krieger Institute, which is affiliated with Hopkins but independent of it.

Because of an editing error, an article in Sunday's Carroll County edition incorrectly identified a family member who received outpatient treatment for childhood lead poisoning through Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute. David Williams, 4, of Taneytown, completed a course of treatment as an outpatient.The Sun regrets the error.

On Saturday September 18, 2004, EVELYN LEVIN (nee Josephson) beloved wife of the late Dr. Nathan Levin, loving cousin of Dr. Bernard Blackman, of Miami, FL. and Dr. Bernard Siegel, of Yonkers, NY. Services at SOL LEVINSON & BROS INC., 8900 Reisterstown Rd., at Mt. Wilson Lane, on Tuesday September 21 at 11 A.M. Interment at Arlington Cemetery Chizuk Amuno Congregation, 4300 N. Rogers Ave. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made, in her memory, to...

The obituary for Richard E. Hug (May 7) fell far short of honoring the legacy of a man who dedicated so many years to helping make Baltimore's non-profits better able to fulfill their missions. While the obit focused on Dick's political fundraising, it did not recognize the contributions he made to organizations such as Kennedy Krieger Institute, the National Aquarium in Baltimore , and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, to name but a few. He was a founding board member of the aquarium.

Sitting at the kitchen counter, playing a game on his mother's cellphone, Nick Brooks looked like any other 13-year-old, except for an occasional hand clap and the burbles that his brothers affectionately call "Nicky noises. " Soon, he got bored with the cellphone and motioned for the laptop on his mother's lap. Jean Brooks was willing to give it to him, but with one caveat. "I'd like a sentence from you," she said. "Mom's computer, please," Nick said. That's a long sentence for the Roland Park youth.

Anne Moore Burnett knew the other moms at the playground were rolling their eyes at her. Her son wouldn't go down the slide unless it was clean, so she was looking around for a stray napkin or anything she could find to wipe it down. As she felt their eyes on her, Burnett found herself almost wishing her son had a visible condition, such as Down Syndrome, so that at least on top of the issues she was dealing with she wouldn't also feel judged by other parents who didn't realize she took these "extra" measures because her son has sensory-sensitive autism.

Former State Superintendent Nancy Grasmick has joined the staff of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a renowned special education and research institution, where she will lead a new Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education.  The Institute announced this week that Grasmick, who started her career teaching deaf children at William S. Baer School in Baltimore, will serve as the director of the newly formed center which they said...

A simple “pull-to-sit” test on infants at six months old may help doctors predict autismand other delays, a new study has found. The study by Kennedy Krieger Institute researchers looked at infants at high genetic risk for autism and found many had weak head and neck control. A large number went on to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, though some had other, more mild language or social delays. The test, added to other developmental measurements already taken of babies, would provide a red flag for parents of all infants, said Dr. Rebecca Landa, study author and director of Kennedy Krieger's Center for Autism and Related Disorders.

If you're wondering why Baltimore City Hall is blue, it's for autism awareness. As part of the International “Light It Up Blue” campaign , Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has joined with the Kennedy Krieger Institute on the lighting. The lights go on Monday at sunset and will stay on through April for Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a developmental disorder that impacts one in 88 children, or one in 80 in Maryland . More than 1.5 million are now estimated to be living with the disorder in the United States.

On October 26, 2007, VIRGINIA MAE (nee Carter) COLLINS, beloved wife of the late Frank B. Collins, loving mother of Joan Blair, Frank M. Collins and Debbie Collins, cherished grandmother of Ray, Danielle, Jess and Rachel and great grandchildren, Brandon and Trevor. Also survived by 3 dear sisters. Friends may call at the family owned Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk Inc., 7922 Wise Avenue on Tuesday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9P.M. Funeral Service Tuesday 8P.M. Interment Arlington National Cemetery, November 19, 2007.

Linda Schuberth, a senior occupational therapist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute who helped children overcome swallowing and feeding issues, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, March 5 at her Homeland home. She was 56 years old. Linda Miller was born in Hazelton, Pa. She earned a bachelor's degree from Temple University and a master's degree from New York University. She was the director of occupational therapy at White Haven Center in White Haven, Pa., and at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She later held a similar post at United Cerebral Palsy in New York City.

A decade-long effort to create a biotechnology park at Johns Hopkins in East Baltimore received a boost Wednesday when a new brain research institute that will be led by several renowned scientists announced plans to establish its headquarters there. Officials with the Lieber Institute for Brain Development announced their selection of the Hopkins-affiliated biopark over four other medical research institutions across the country that vied to become its permanent home. The institute, which is funded by an endowment of more than $100 million, is expected to employ up to 60 researchers focusing on schizophrenia, stem cells, neurobiology and other brain-related fields.