Demyelinating diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect your child’s brain function and lead to disability in the future. Our clinic provides treatment for MS and related diseases, focusing on giving your child a fully functional and healthy life.

Visits are scheduled so that ample time is available to discuss treatment options and answer questions.

Why Choose Us for Your Child’s Demyelinating Disease Care

  • We’re the only clinic in the region dedicated to the care of children with demyelinating diseases, like multiple sclerosis.
  • We spend more time with patients than larger clinics, making sure patients and parents understand conditions and treatment options.
  • We coordinate with our adult multiple sclerosis clinic to ensure smooth transition of care when patients reach adulthood.
  • We’re affiliated with the US Network of Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers, dedicated to better understanding MS and improving patient outcomes.
  • We participate in clinical trials that may lead to breakthroughs in MS and other demyelinating diseases.

Conditions Treated

  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
  • Optic neuritis
  • Transverse myelitis
  • Clinically isolated syndrome
  • Neuromyelitis optica

What are demyelinating diseases?

MS and other demyelinating diseases affect neurons, damaging the neuron’s protective coating (called myelin). When your child’s neurons are damaged, their brain and bodily functions are affected. 

Symptoms like seizures, weakness, fatigue, pain, tingling, numbness, vision loss, balance loss and more can occur. If left untreated, the effects of the disease may become worse over time.

What to Expect

At the Hospital

Your child will be referred to our clinic, typically after being treated at a hospital following an attack of their disease. They may be experiencing unexplained seizures, weakness in one part of the body, change in vision or other unusual symptoms. 

At the hospital, we’ll collect samples of blood and cerebrospinal fluid to help diagnose your child. Neuroimaging, like MRIs, is an important part of diagnosis as well and will be used throughout treatment.

At our Clinic

After your child’s hospital stay, we’ll see them at our clinic for ongoing treatment. We’ll discuss your child’s diagnosis and work out the best treatment path.

No matter what your child’s disease, our goal is to get them back to a fully functional, healthy life. Some demyelinating diseases, like MS and neuromyelitis optica, are lifelong conditions. Our goal with these is to find long-term treatments that leave your child without side effects.

Other conditions, like optic neuritis and transverse myelitis, may be cleared up with treatment depending on their underlying cause. We’ll recommend check-ups to make sure these conditions aren’t caused by something more serious.

Treatment

Treatment for pediatric demyelinating diseases like MS includes several different types of medicine. At regular appointments, we’ll monitor and adjust your child’s treatment as necessary, making sure it’s effective and tolerable.

One or more of these treatment options may be used depending on your child’s disease and symptoms:

  • Injectables are shots that can be given to your child at home.
  • Oral medications (like Gilenya or corticosteroids) can also be taken at home.
  • Infusion therapies (like Tysabri or Ocrevus) are given by IV at our outpatient infusion center.

Your child will have access to a team of specialists that provide comprehensive care options. The team practices whole person care, which focuses on healing body, mind and spirit. Your child’s team of specialists includes:

  • Pediatric neuro-ophthalmologists
  • Rehabilitation doctors
  • Neuroradiologists
  • Neuropsychologists