ASPIRE Blog

  Bennett was a typically developing 7-year-old boy when he started second grade, the first year back to school full time after COVID-19, without masks. That December, he came down […]

Hi! My name is Skylar, and I was diagnosed with PANS in October 2023 after struggling with it for around 10 years.   I was 7 or 8 years old […]

Therapists need to be aware of when inflammatory disorders can masquerade as psychiatric conditions Therapy Today – September, 2024 – Lucy McDonald is a counselor at the Children’s e-Hospital, a […]

This is the journey of Emily, who is now 16. She began experiencing PANS symptoms in 2020 during the height of COVID-19; before that, Emily was a typical kid and did all the things that girls her age do.  Emily is now a high school junior and doing well.  However, her path to recovery was filled with despair and uncertainty. 

Tran, Michael; Amador, Alcides; and Camacho Bermudez, Sofia, “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Other Specified Anxiety Disorder in an 8-Year-Old Post-respiratory Infection: A Case Report” (2024). Research Colloquium. 91.https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/colloquium/2024/posters/91 Conclusions: This […]

Pol-Fuster J., Fernández de la Cruz L., Beucke J., Hesselmark E., Crowley J.J., de Schipper E., Brikell I., Chang Z., D’Onofrio B.M., Larsson H., Lichtenstein P., Kuja-Halkola, R. & Mataix-Cols […]

The battle with PANDAS is no joke, but there is hope. Throughout my journey, my mantra has been Never Ever Give Up. I am a fighter, a warrior, like all those with PANS/PANDAS. I have found fun ways to help me throughout my journey. For every infusion, I decorate my infusion center room with yellow butterflies, my port and IV, stuffed animals, and a wreath I made after one of my surgeries. I also wear one of my Brave Gowns and bring things to paint as well. I have also learned that you can revamp IVIG bottles into painted masterpieces or sculptures, which has been really fun, too.

When my daughter was young, she washed her hands a lot. We might have poked what we thought was gentle fun at her, saying she was “a little bit OCD”. Later, she began to disclose “bad thoughts”, which I assumed were the typical products of a child’s imagination. I told her we all had thoughts like that, and if we ignored them, they went away.

Bleibach A, Sørensen CB, Skov L, Christensen KB, Debes NM. Reliability and validity of a newly developed PANDAS/PANS questionnaire. Eur J Paediatr Neurol. 2024 Sep;52:109-130. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2024.07.008. Epub 2024 Jul […]

Elise shared the story below on her PANS/PANDAS journey at the IOCDF Conference in 2024 as part of the panel “PANS & PANDAS: What is it, What to Look For, […]

Lyla is a spunky eight-year-old little girl with a wild imagination. Along with her best friend, Pickles, Lyla loves to go on adventures, play pretend, and enjoy being a kid. When Lyla was six years old, she was diagnosed with PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections). Throughout this story, Lyla and Pickles hope to uplift other PANDAS warriors while educating others on PANDAS.

Leonardi L, Perna C, Bernabei I, Fiore M, Ma M, Frankovich J, Tarani L, Spalice A. Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections […]