Turn to our nationally recognized neuroscience center for help with your child’s central nervous system issues, including the brain, spine, peripheral nerves and muscle control. We’re here to help your family get the answers you need and the compassionate and comprehensive care your child deserves.

Whether you’re looking for an initial appointment or a second opinion, we can help. You can see a neurosurgeon within 48 business hours of reaching out to us and a pediatric neurologist within a few days – an advantage offered by very few programs in the nation.

To offer your child the very best in neurological care, we partner with pediatric neurology departments at NorthShore University Health System and the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital. Through this Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance, your child has access to even more specialists and programs.

Conditions we treat include:

• Epilepsy
• Concussion
• Headaches
• Neuromuscular conditions such as muscular dystrophy
• Spinal muscular atrophy
• Neurocutaneous disorders such as neurofibromatosis
• Tuberous sclerosis

We also provide neurosurgical care for conditions such as:

• Brain tumors
• Hydrocephalus
• Trauma
• Spina bifida
• Spinal deformities
• Craniofacial conditions
• Vascular malformations
• Epilepsy

Learn more about the neurological disorders we treat.

Finding the right neurological care for your child

At Advocate Children’s Hospital, we provide:

• Top pediatric experts: Your child receives neurology care from doctors with years, and sometimes decades, of experience. They’ve earned board certification in neuroscience specialties, passing optional tests of skills and knowledge. Our neuroscience team includes:
  • Neurosurgeons: They treat structural issues of the brain, spine and nerves with both surgical and nonsurgical options. Learn more about neurosurgery.
  • Neurologists: They assess neurological disorders that are usually treated with medicines, with each pediatric neurologist typically focused on a few areas for even greater expertise. Find out more about neurology.
  • Neuroradiologists: They interpret neurological scans for prompt, accurate evaluation.
  • Neuropathologists: They study and diagnose tumors and other diseases.
• Sophisticated diagnosis: We use a range of tools, some not widely available in Chicagoland, to ensure a timely and accurate diagnosis. Examples include electroencephalogram (EEG) with video monitoring, electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction velocity studies (NCVs). We also do fast MRIs, avoiding sedation and the radiation of other scans.
• Innovative treatment: Our neurosurgeons are recognized nationally for their techniques to address brain trauma, spina bifida, craniosynostosis and hydrocephalus.
• Accessible care: Neurosurgery takes place at our Park Ridge and Oak Lawn campuses, with neurology locations available across the area.
• Multidisciplinary care: Our neurosciences team collaborates with other specialists to provide comprehensive care for children with complex conditions. We also have multidisciplinary clinics where children can see multiple specialists at the same time, like in our spina bifida and brain tumor clinics.

Getting additional help

By choosing our neuroscience center, you’ll get access to a range of top doctors across Advocate Children’s Hospital. The specialties we partner with most often include:

• Fetal and newborn care
• General or trauma surgery
• Genetics
• Oncology
• Orthopedics
• Plastic surgery
• Primary care
• Pulmonology
• Rehabilitation

Feeling fully supported

We want your family to always feel like you come first. We do this by making sure to:

• Respect your time: If your child needs to see multiple doctors, we try to coordinate the appointments for the same day and time to save you extra trips. The doctors usually meet with you together. Learn more about what to expect.
• Guide you along the way: A social worker and a Child Life specialist help with logistics and ease the strain and anxiety of care. They also help your family transition to life after treatment.
• Work at your pace: We want you to feel comfortable with your child’s neurology care and to feel like it’s under your control. We take as much time as you need to answer your questions. We find, for example, that parents may never actually see their child’s scans. We thoroughly go over those images with you, as well as any other test results.
• Recognize a condition’s impact: Let’s say your child gets bullied at school because of a neurological condition. We can help you choose schooling options that will help them cope.
• Meet your needs: If your family travels from out of the area and needs a place to stay, a Ronald McDonald House is conveniently located next to our Oak Lawn campus.