Pain Assessment in Children with Neurological Impairment  | Pain and Complex Care Collaboration

Katie is the mother of three beautiful children, two of whom have complex medical needs. Katie's oldest son Mahdi is 17 years old and has a diagnosis of Down syndrome, Tourette’s, chronic motility difficulties (requiring a MACE) and ongoing Orthopedic issues with his hips. His pain journey has been complicated given that he is non-verbal and significantly delayed. Outside of being a mom, Katie works in Early Intervention as an Infant and Child Development Consultant.

Dr. Tim Oberlander is a physician-scientist whose work bridges developmental neurosciences and community child health. As a clinician he manages complex pain in children and has a particular interest in managing pain in children/youth with developmental disabilities. As a researcher, his primary interest has been in studying how early life experiences shape stress/pain and related neurobehavioral outcomes during childhood. Dr. Oberlander’s work extends from molecular/genetic studies to population epidemiological studies that characterize neurodevelopmental pathways that reflect risk, resiliency and developmental plasticity.

Pain is a commonly reported symptom amongst children with medical complexity (CMC). Health-care providers working with CMC should have an understanding of the causes of pain and how to approach and treat it.
By the end of this module, you will be able to define the concepts of pain in CMC, identify common causes of pain in CMC and strategies for assessment, articulate an approach to treatment and management of pain, and describe strategies for preventing pain triggers.