Autism Acceptance Month is a time to foster inclusion of the autism community. This goes beyond simply promoting education about the differences and abilities of people with autism— it is a commitment to understanding, respecting, and celebrating those differences and abilities from across the diverse range of the autism spectrum.
Seattle Children’s Autism Center holds space for the varied truths and narratives that co-exist in the world of autism, and believes that every person with autism has the right to thrive: to be accepted, included, celebrated and to live their best life. Some individuals with autism need high levels of support in their daily lives, while others are able to reach their goals with relative independence. And many others fall somewhere in between—benefitting from support in some areas and independence in others.
All deserve not just awareness of their differences, but true acceptance and inclusion. This requires a shift for all of us—not just in our healthcare and education systems to provide needed supports and therapies to autistic individuals—but in our society as a whole to broaden our appreciation of diverse lived experiences and recognition of the value of neurodiversity.
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Dr. Nicholas Vitanza is the program lead for Seattle Children’s Therapeutics BrainChild clinical trials
Seattle Children’s Therapeutics has launched BrainChild-04, a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial that will be our first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell clinical trial that targets four antigens at the same time, by delivering CAR T cells directly to the brain.
The trial is for children, teens, and young adults with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), diffuse midline glioma (DMG), and other recurrent or refractory brain and spinal cord tumors.
“We believe this is the first CAR T-cell product in the world to target four antigens at the same time,” said Dr. Nicholas Vitanza, a neuro-oncologist at Seattle Children’s and the study chair for BrainChild-04.
CAR T-cell immunotherapy is an experimental treatment that stimulates the immune system to fight disease. The treatment reprograms T cells (white blood cells in the immune system that fight disease) to engage and kill cancer cells.
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At the Cure FactoryTM in Seattle Children’s Building CureTM, cell products for patients enrolled in clinical trials are manufactured on-site in downtown Seattle
Seattle Children’s, an international leader in the effort to better treat cancer in children, teens and young adults by boosting the immune system with immunotherapy, has reached a new milestone by enrolling its 500th patient in its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy clinical trials in 10 years.
T cells play a key role in fighting pathogens and regulating the immune system. Through a potentially game-changing experimental treatment called cancer immunotherapy, a patient’s own T cells are “reprogrammed” into CAR T cells that can hunt down and destroy cancer cells wherever they are hiding in the body.
Support from more than 24,000 donors in all 50 states and across 17 other countries has raised more than $123 million to date to move this research forward. Historically, only 4% of the federal cancer research budget was allocated to pediatric cancer. In 2021, advocacy efforts helped increase that percentage to 8%, but there is a significant need for additional funding and philanthropy in pediatric cancer research to help scientists advance this important work and open new trials sooner.
On the Pulse looks back at the remarkable stories of Seattle Children’s patients who fought and beat cancer over the last decade, and shares where they are today.
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Cleft teams from Seattle, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana joined together for the PACT program’s 5-day workshop
Every year, Seattle Children’s Craniofacial Center treats hundreds of children with craniofacial conditions and rare syndromes. Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common kinds of birth defects in the United States, and affects more than 1 in 1000 newborns around the world.
The lip and palate (roof of mouth) form in early pregnancy. Cleft lip is a separation of the two sides of the upper lip and a cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth that occurs when the two sides of the palate do not bond together. A cleft palate can impact a child’s ability to speak, swallow and sometimes hear properly.
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Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental health conditions seen and treated at Seattle Children’s.
Although sometimes confused, they are different classes of disorders. Some of the confusion stems from an overlap in symptoms and in fact, people often experience both at the same time.
Dr. Kalina Babeva and Dr. Sonia Venkatraman, co-directors of the Mood and Anxiety Program at Seattle Children’s, dive into these conditions with On the Pulse to answer some frequently asked questions from patients and families.
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Senior Medical Director of Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC), Dr. Shaquita Bell, has been awarded the 2023 Native American Child Health Advocacy Award by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Native American Child Health (CONACH).
The esteemed award is presented each year to an individual who has made significant contributions toward promoting the health and well-being of Native American children and exemplifies a lifelong commitment to Native American children and their communities.
“It is an absolute honor to be given this award,” Dr. Bell shared. “I was nominated by my mentor Dr. Joey Bell, the first Native doctor I ever met. I remember first hearing him speak about his oral health work in the tribal community of Lumbee and hoping that one day, I too could make an impact as big and important as he did. Fast forward almost 20 years, it feels unreal to be receiving this award because of his nomination.”
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Seattle Children’s patients and families were surprised when some exciting visitors stopped by from University of Washington (UW) Athletics.
The 17 women on the UW Softball team each brought a pair of white cleats to be designed by a patient, and the team will wear their custom cleats during the televised Cal series on the Pac -12 network April 6 – 8, 2023.
Additionally, the UW Football team stopped by with footballs for our patients to decorate.
Seattle Children’s is grateful for UW Athletics bringing smiles and creativity to our patients, and we are excited to cheer them on throughout their seasons.
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When Jiana was born in August 2021, she appeared to be a typical, healthy newborn baby.
“I still remember her pediatrician called her a textbook baby,” recalled Latika, Jiana’s mom.
Unfortunately, that normalcy was short lived. On her first day home from the hospital, Jiana’s parents noticed their daughter was twitching.
“We were first-time parents and thought it was colic or gas,” said Kunal, Jiana’s dad. “We didn’t know what to expect.”
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Seattle Children’s Therapeutic Gaming Program brings the power of video games, virtual reality and other therapeutic technology to enhance patient experiences and improve outcomes.
The program uses a variety of video games, consoles and technologies to help patients cope with the stress and boredom of hospitalization, as well as to provide opportunities for socialization, education and rehabilitation.
Since its inception in 2018, thanks to grant funding from Child’s Play Charity, the program has become a leader in the field of therapeutic gaming.
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Dr. Samuel Browd, surgical director and neurosurgeon for the Cerebral Palsy and Tone Management Programs at Seattle Children’s
March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Cerebral palsy is a condition that causes differences in how someone moves and controls their muscles. The differences are caused by an injury to a child’s developing brain. The brain injury can happen before, during or after birth. The injury does not change (it is non-progressive), but the effects can change over time and worsen as children grow. The condition affects a child’s strength, muscle tone and motor control.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cerebral palsy is the most common motor disability of childhood and approximately 1 in 345 children have been identified with the disorder.
The Cerebral Palsy Program at Seattle Children’s features a team of providers, surgeons and therapists with expertise and experience treating children, teens and young adults with cerebral palsy.
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