Pediatric Neurosciences

A neurological or neurodevelopmental disorder can affect your child’s entire life. You want to work with experienced neuroscience specialists who understand the needs of you of your child. You can count on the team of Children's Health experts at University of Missouri Children’s Hospital to provide the care you are seeking. 

MU Health Care neuroscience specialists are specifically trained to care for children with developmental and neurological disorders. We combine innovative research and excellent care to offer a full spectrum of advanced neurological diagnostics and treatments for spinal and brain conditions. Our multidisciplinary neurosciences team is totally focused on your child, developing a personalized treatment plan while involving your family every step of the way. 

Neurological conditions we treat

We have developmental pediatricians, neurologists and neurosurgeons on hand to treat any neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders your child may have, including:

• Brain damage
• Chiari malformations 
• Concussion
• Developmental delays
• Gait (walking) abnormalities
• Headaches
• Neurofibromatosis (tumors on nerve tissue)
• Seizures and epilepsy
• Tic disorders
• Tourette’s disorder (involuntary, repetitive movements and vocalizations)

Epilepsy monitoring 

Epilepsy is a disease of the central nervous system in which electrical signals of the brain misfire. This causes temporary communication problems between nerve cells and leads to seizures. Seizure monitoring is critical for accurate diagnosis and treatment of your child.

Physicians at MU Children’s Hospital, which is part of MU Health Care, have an advanced way of monitoring young patients who suffer from seizures. Our expanded epilepsy monitoring allows medical teams to study your child’s brain waves and seizure activity in real time, on site.

What to expect with epilepsy monitoring

Children in the epilepsy monitoring area have continuous video electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring. Real-time results are relayed to a viewing station, where teams of health care professionals watch your child’s brain activity, before during and after a seizure.

Your child is tested under the supervision of specialized technicians and nurses in a safe, controlled environment. In addition to monitoring children with epilepsy, the technology can help physicians identify causes of unexplained sleep apnea and seizure disorders in young children.

The length of the hospital stay will range depending on your child’s specific condition. Monitoring may last for one day or possibly up to a week.