Neurology

About the Department of Neurology

We understand that facing a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of your child’s neurological disorder can be very frightening. While our team is known for our science-driven approach, our doctors never forget that your child is a child—not just a patient. We specialize in innovative, family-centered care. From the moment of diagnosis through survivorship, you’ll work with our team of compassionate professionals who are committed to your child’s health and your family’s well-being.

When you come to Boston Children’s Hospital for neurological care, your child will be seen by a team of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners other specialists with expertise in all types of childhood nervous system disorders and their effects on growing children.

We have more than 50 child neurologists on our team who treat children with all types of nervous system disorders, including epilepsy, learning disabilities and other developmental disabilities, sleep disorders, neuromuscular disorders, brain tumors, genetic neurological disorders, neonatal conditions and neuro-immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis. We work with doctors from every medical specialty area at Boston Children’s, such as Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, to meet all of your child and family’s medical, physical and emotional needs.

Here at the Neurology Department, our treatment is informed by our research. So your child is also supported by our network of neuroscience researchers who are intensely focused on improving our understanding and treatment of childhood neurological disorders. Our clinical and basic scientists work together to quickly move discoveries to the bedside so your child has access to the most advanced care possible.

New director for Rett Syndrome Program

Boston Children’s Rett Syndrome Program, the only program of its kind in New England, welcomes Walter Kaufmann, MD, as its new director. Dr. Kaufmann sees children with Rett syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorders, and studies the causes of cognitive and behavioral problems in these disorders. His extensive research ranges from laboratory science to clinical trials of targeted drugs that might reverse the disorders themselves, rather than just control their symptoms.

Patient stories: Hard Knocks

On a Friday afternoon last October, 15-year-old Maggie Hickey was getting ready to go to a high school football game when she started feeling queasy. The next thing she knew, she was lying on a couch with a whopping headache, a gash over her left eye and only the fuzziest idea about what had happened. “I felt so disoriented and started crying,” Maggie remembers. Read Maggie's story here.