ASPIRE Blog

What a year! Thank you for being a part of ASPIRE’s first year. We believe in the power of WE; it takes an entire community to fight for better outcomes for those affected by PANS/PANDAS.

ASPIRE is happy to announce that New England Center for Health, lead by Dr. Nancy O’Hara (ASPIRE Professional Advisory Board Member), Dr. Lindsey Wells, and Vicki Kobliner will host zoom calls regarding various topics surrounding COVID-19. 

Do you remember the day your child officially got a diagnosis of PANS/PANDAS? Was it your first doctor? Was it your fifth? Were you devastated? Were you relieved to have an answer and the start of a treatment plan? Was your child diagnosed incorrectly prior to that? Email us at ASPIRE us your Diagnosis Day Story.  Or submit your full Personal or Family PANS PANDAS Story.

Dr. Swedo briefly explains the importance of this research and its results. 

The Frontiers article is an important replication and extension of previous work by Dr. Madeleine Cunningham and her colleagues. The investigation reports results of assays done on samples obtained from 60 PANDAS patients, 8 children with Sydenham chorea, and 2 “control” groups — children with other psychiatric/neurologic disorders (25 with OCD, 18 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 18 with Tourette disorder), and 28 healthy controls. 

Lyme ­­is it Affecting My Child? You Bet Your Rash & Other Signs, Symptoms, and Treatments   Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, a member of the ASPIRE Professional Advisory Board, presented on Lyme Disease, Tick-Borne Illness and Co-infections as part of the NECH Educational Series. This presentation is divided into 5 separate posts. Section 1: […]

I guess my advice for a PANDAS family would to always be there for your sick child. To always tell them that they are brave. Because we are. There may only be 1 in 200 of us, but we are the bravest people on the earth 🙂

My name is Ella and I was diagnosed with PANDAS at age 13, now 15. Before PANDAS I was a four-sport athlete (basketball being my favorite), I loved hanging out with friends and family, I was doing good in school, and I was your normal teenager. 

ASPIRE sits down with Julie Cox, LCSW, to discuss why therapeutic strategies can be beneficial to PANS PANDAS parents and caregivers, how not to pathologize everything, and ways to accept that the healing journey is often slower than we would like it to be.

Interview with Christopher Pittenger, MD on the study: Antibodies From Children With PANDAS Bind Specifically to Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons and Alter Their Activity ASPIRE sat down with Christopher Pittenger, MD, PhD, FAPA, FANA. He is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Assistant Chair for Translational Research, Psychiatry; Director, Yale OCD Research Clinic; Co-Director, Neuroscience Research Training […]

Announcing The Heartwood Program – Dr. Susan Swedo’s Consultation Practice! ASPIRE is pleased to share news from Dr. Susan Swedo, ASPIRE ex-officio Board Member regarding the opening of her new consultation practice in Bethesda, MD. Please note, that due to recent changes in telehealth rules, families won’t have to travel to the Heartwood Program’s offices […]

Romy runs an Instagram and Facebook account Tourettics Unite to spread awareness on Tourettes, OCD, and PANS/PANDAS. She and I have been touch a little bit over the past few months, and I have been impressed by her work. Recently Romy shared a video of her reciting a poem about OCD and Mental Health that I want to share with you all. So we sat down remotely and talked about her story, her recent efforts to pursue a PANS PANDAS diagnosis and treatment, and why she wants to help spread understanding about these conditions.

ASPIRE created an electronic poster for the National Council for Behavioral Health (NATCON) conference. The poster is really a mini-website with a comprehensive overview of PANS/PANDAS including important information on Behavioral Health.  The ASPIRE e-poster for NATCON is available to the public to view. The National Council for Behavioral Health is the unifying voice of […]