Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Seth Pollak, PhD, Waisman Center investigator and professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was recently featured in a story about how childhood poverty can influence brain development and hinder success in school and beyond. You can read the full story in either the Capital Times or at WisconsinWatch.org.
Luke Holzem sped from door to door, his orange t-shirt transforming him into a bright blur of 6-year-old energy. His grey-green eyes sparkled and he looked expectantly at his mother, Shannon. The question was clear: which of the numbered doors did he have to vanquish to get to his appointment at the Communication Aids & …
Only one out of the more than 200 bones in our bodies is free-floating, with no local attachment to other bones, but it’s no freeloader. The hyoid bone is located in the front of the neck, just below the lower jaw, carrying the weight of the tongue and playing a vital role in speech and swallowing.
An increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism, and a state mandate for insurance coverage of autism treatment, has led to an expansion of autism treatment services in the Madison area. UW–Madison’s Waisman Center, which has long had a clinic that can diagnose children with autism, started offering behavioral treatment for the condition …
The Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of the Capital Times, has awarded the Waisman Center $8,000 to expand the accessibility and reach of its free, community-oriented Day with the Experts series. The four Waisman Center Day with the Experts educational events focus on autism, cerebral palsy, cochlear implants and Down syndrome. The series features presentations …
Dan Campbell passed away recently. He was a prolific artist and contributed many pieces of his work to the Waisman Center’s Harvey A. Stevens Collection of Art by People with Disabilities. Dan and his family also participated in a number of research studies at the Waisman Center over the course of more than 30 years, …
A new mouse model, developed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is the first to show that when more of a specific biological molecule moves between different parts of nerve cells in the mouse brain, it can lead to behaviors that resembles some aspects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in humans.
May 18, 2016 Adityarup “Rup” Chakravorty, Waisman Communications Jelte Rijkaart is 10 years old, with a ready smile, dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. He enjoys hanging out with people, especially his brother Roan. He is passionate about clocks—he has a wall dedicated to cuckoo clocks—and enjoys all sorts of movies about clocks on …
It has been said that communication is the essence of human life. In fact, our ability to communicate an unlimited number of thoughts and ideas separates humans from all other creatures.
Much like electricity traveling down wires, nerve impulses in our brain travel along nerve fibers. And just as wires need insulation to function well, nerve fibers, too, rely on a kind of insulation called myelin, a fatty substance that protects them and increases the speed at which nerve impulses travel.
