Connecting Families: Waisman network helps families with special needs through peer support

Caring for someone with a disability is not a singular experience. It differs widely across families with different disabilities presenting their own joys and challenges. Creating spaces where families of individuals with disabilities can come together and share their experiences can be an important comfort and support while navigating life.

The rippling effect of sharing knowledge: How Project ECHO is helping create better access to resources and supports for individuals with disabilities

Accessing services, resources, and knowledgeable physicians can be a challenge for the disability community. It is often the case that the resources and information needed to properly care for individuals with disabilities is not widespread, leaving many families lacking access or needing to travel far distances.

¡A movernos!: La actividad física puede ser desafiante, pero muy beneficiosa para las personas con discapacidades del desarrollo; algunas modificaciones pueden ayudar

Dicen que el movimiento es medicina y si bien la actividad física tiene tantos beneficios para todos, ¿qué haces cuando moverte es un desafío? Para algunos el desafío es el tiempo, para otros la motivación, pero para las personas con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo (IDD, por sus siglas en inglés) existen muchas barreras que pueden hacer que la actividad física sea un poco más difícil de lograr.

Let’s get moving: physical activity can be challenging but highly beneficial for individuals with developmental disabilities, a few modifications may help

Español By Charlene N. Rivera-Bonet | Waisman Science Writer The researchers interviewed for this story use identity-first language in alignment with the preferences of many of those in the autistic community. This story reflects that preference. …

Kathleen Kastner Selected for 2024 SMPH Dean’s Teaching Award

Kathleen Kastner, MD, associate professor, Division of Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine, and developmental behavioral pediatrician in the Waisman Center’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic and Newborn Follow-Up Clinic, was selected for a 2024 University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Dean’s Teaching Award.

Organoids are becoming more popular in research, consistency in their use is needed for more accurate results

To the naked eye, they look like tiny blobs free floating in a pink liquid. Under a light microscope, they look similar. But organoids, a 3-D mini version of an organ grown in a lab, may contain invaluable information about how the human brain develops.