Angelman Syndrome Clinic opens at Texas Children's Hospital

HOUSTON -- Texas Children's Hospital and the Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF) announced the official opening of the Angelman Syndrome Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital, one of only seven Angelman syndrome-specific clinics in the country and the first in Texas.

Established through the generosity of donors and in partnership by the two organizations, the Angelman Syndrome Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital focuses on serving the comprehensive medical needs of individuals with Angelman syndrome.

Occurring in one in 15,000 live births, Angelman syndrome is a neurogenetic disorder often misdiagnosed as autism or cerebral palsy that causes severe neurological impairment, appears in newborns and lasts for a lifetime.

During fetal development, the loss of function of a particular gene in the brain occurs, resulting in neurons functioning improperly and causing deficits in development.

Individuals with Angelman syndrome experience developmental delay, lack of speech, seizures, walking and balance disorders, and typically exhibit a happy demeanor characterized by frequent smiling, laughter, and excitability.

With the creation of the clinic, individuals with Angelman syndrome and their families can access multiple specialists who are experts in Angelman syndrome and a variety of medical resources in one setting, as opposed to visiting multiple locations across the nation.

The Angelman Syndrome Clinic leverages the variety of expertise and comprehensive care available at Texas Children's to help individuals with Angelman and seeks to improve the daily challenges of patients and caregivers.

The medical team at the Angelman Syndrome Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital includes a clinical geneticist, neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, speech-language pathologist, nutritionist, physical/occupational therapist, genetic counselor and social worker.

Care is focused on treating the individual symptoms that are unique to each patient.

As part of the commitment to improving the lives of patients and families living with Angelman syndrome, the medical team participates in the latest clinical research protocols and trials.

The Angelman Syndrome Clinic at Texas Children's Hospital is located at 6701 Fannin Street, Wallace Tower, 16th Floor, Houston, Texas, 77030. Appointments can be made by calling (832) 822-0959.

For more information about Angelman syndrome and the ASF, please visit www.angelman.org. For more information about Texas Children's, please visit www.texaschildrens.org.