The Waisman Center’s signature research project looks deeply at the connections between autism and ADHD
Josh loves coming to the Waisman Center. He has told his mom Julia several times that he particularly enjoys the two-day visits because he gets to spend more time at the center. His brain is special so it is cool that the scientists want to study it, he tells Julia.
July 13, 2023
From clinics to treatment: Waisman works to help families with autism
For many individuals with autism and their families, their first experience with the Waisman Center may be through the center’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities (A&DD) Clinic. The A&DD Clinic’s primary focus is providing diagnostic evaluations and follow-up care for to individuals suspected of having autism or other developmental disabilities.
April 4, 2023
The Waisman Center’s comprehensive care and strides toward early interventions for children with cerebral palsy: Clinics and outreach
The clinics and the research laboratories of the Waisman Center intertwine to care for individuals with cerebral palsy. The mission is one: to improve the outcomes for individuals with cerebral palsy.
March 7, 2023
PKU patients around Wisconsin are grappling with the formula shortage too
People with metabolic disorders who require formula to ensure adequate nutrition are among those dealing with a months long shortage — the Waisman Center at UW-Madison is seeking to help source alternatives, even as such options can be stressful.
June 17, 2022
The Bone Dysplasia Clinic’s many decades of helping families
The start of the Waisman Center’s Bone Dysplasia Clinic was a case of serendipity. It was 1980 and Richard Pauli, MD, a pediatric geneticist, had just arrived at UW-Madison. Over the course of the year, Pauli settled into his new role at UW Hospital. Then in 1981, he was approached by radiologist Len Langer, MD, with a strange request.
May 20, 2022
A life full of love and magic: Eva S. Borenitsch
Eva Susan Borenitsch was magical. She knew no limits. “We called her our little unicorn,” says her mom Emily Borenitsch.
February 21, 2022Innovative UW Undiagnosed Genetic Disease Clinic seeks to identify rare genetic conditions
The UW Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health recently opened its first patient clinic, the UW Undiagnosed Genetic Disease Clinic at the Waisman Center.
July 19, 2021
Waisman CP Clinic strikes a balance
Twins Sebastian and Charlotte Sundly are quite the contrasting pair, yet they balance one another out perfectly in some interesting and unexpected ways.
March 29, 2021
Remembering Ludell Swenson
A peek into a collection of newspaper clippings about Ludell Swenson reveals the life of an extraordinarily accomplished person: marathoner, competitive tournament bowler, outspoken social services advocate. But what stands out the most is his …
October 23, 2020
Inside Waisman: Meet Lindsay McCary
As a third year graduate student in school psychology at the University of South Carolina, Lindsay McCary, PhD, was looking for a new advisor to help her with her dissertation.
September 9, 2020
The ECHO effect
Project ECHO (the mantra for which is “All teach, all learn”) uses video-conferencing technology to provide education and case consultation on best practice clinical services, training, and resources for individuals with specific healthcare needs that are difficult to meet locally. The Waisman Center ECHO platform will serve as a diagnostic and treatment training hub to share the center’s expertise on intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, throughout the state and beyond.
July 28, 2020
Serving during COVID-19: AAC outreach services
The Communication Development Program (CDP) is an outreach program of the Waisman Center UCEDD at University of Wisconsin, Madison. This program was developed over 30 years ago in partnership with the Dane County Department of …
May 12, 2020
Spurred by COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth becomes mainstream at Madison clinics, hospitals
“It was awesome. It saves us from having to take time off work and having to travel,” said Nicole Gantz, whose 8-year-old son Joshua has Down syndrome and an attention disorder. Nicole and Joshua visited with Maria Stanley, a …
April 27, 2020Catherine Kanter named speech-language pathologist of the year
“I then found in speech-language pathology a wonderful marriage of my love for language and communication and helping individuals with disabilities, and came to UW-Madison to complete my graduate degree,” says Kanter, who has worked as a full-time speech-language pathologist, or SLP, at the Waisman Center since June 2018.
February 24, 2020Whole exome sequencing illuminates genetic condition
If you ask David Seamans what his favorite thing to do is, he’ll pause thoughtfully for a moment before responding, “Everything.” He really does mean everything
October 18, 201921st century medicine helps Amish deal with rare, inherited illnesses
There is no car in the driveway, neither phone nor electricity in the house. Handmade clothes dry on the line. It’s fall 2018, and La Farge physician James DeLine has brought us to talk with Barbara and Daniel Hochstetler, part of the large Amish population in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region.
October 18, 2019
Connecting research and clinics to help those with autism
One of the goals of the study is to discover how genetic variations in young people with ASD are related to brain changes that lead to clinical symptoms of the disorder, such as impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors. “If you think about it, in between genes and clinical symptoms [of ASD] are changes in brain development,” says Lainhart. “Genes first impact brain development, and as a result of changes in how the brain develops, there are clinical manifestations of what we recognize as ASD.”
January 7, 2019New gift to support research and training
A new estate gift will help support research and expand undergraduate and graduate student training in the area of intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Waisman Center. This significant gift – more than $1 million …
November 21, 2018Families navigate an autism diagnosis with interventional services, networks
Waisman Center social workers Paola Perez and Erin Thomson were featured guests on the Larry Meiller Show on Wisconsin Public Radio’s the Ideas Network. Perez and Thomson discussed a broad range of autism-related topics including …
October 25, 2018Down Syndrome Clinic helps Jackie Cleveland keep dancing
Brown eyes afire and colorful skirt awhirl, Jackie Cleveland has been dancing since she could walk. Now in sixth-grade, Jackie, who has Down syndrome, performs at Native American pow wows across the country, dancing traditional Ho-Chunk dances with style and unabashed joy.
April 11, 2018
After decades of service, Waisman clinician Tina Iyama-Kurtycz retires in December
Iyama-Kurtycz’s journey from an 8-year-old with a dream to a skilled clinician took her to medical school at the University of Michigan and a residency at the University of Kansas. “While at Kansas, I met a pediatrician who was taking care of children with disabilities and I realized that’s what I wanted to do,” says Iyama-Kurtycz.
December 6, 2017
SOFT Conference in Madison, WI
When Leila Adamson was born, doctors weren’t sure that she would live for even 63 seconds. More than 63 months later, in July 2017, she will be in Madison, Wisconsin, along with her parents, Kari …
July 18, 2017
Biochemical Genetics Clinic helps children live healthier, happier lives
Sam Thompson is two-and-a-half years old and a super-charged giver of hugs.His green eyes sparkle as he first embraces his physician, Jessica Scott Schwoerer, and then his dietitian, Nikki Drilias. Then it’s a quick, laughter-filled …
July 6, 2017Foods made with special whey protein help PKU patients
Research led by Waisman Center investigator Denise Ney has shown that food products made from a specific protein found in whey can safely be part of a more palatable diet for individuals diagnosed with phenylketonuria …
April 17, 2017
Treating the trauma of brain injuries
One Wednesday in September, 15-year-old Tristan Thurman went to soccer practice at his high school. The team had just lost a game the day before because the other team had scored goals heading the ball, …
February 14, 2017- More Clinics posts
Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.