The Child Brain Lab
An important part of the Pediatric Brain Center is the Child Brain Lab. The tests and assessments we conduct here with children are fun to do and provide valuable data for our care. In this way, research and care are effectively connected.
What is the Child Brain Lab?
The Child Brain Lab helps to better map the development of children who have a condition affecting the head, brain, or senses. We do this through a series of games and tasks that children are invited to complete at specific ages. In this playful way, we gather a large amount of data about the progression and mechanisms of brain disorders in children. The results from the lab are used for scientific research and to improve our clinical care. We also hope that our findings will contribute to the development of new treatments.
The Child Brain Lab is a collaboration between 12 different departments of Erasmus MC and Rijndam, and was established with support from the Erasmus MC Sophia Foundation. Our mission is to ensure that all children with a brain disorder can participate in society at the best possible level.
Who can participate in the Child Brain Lab?
The Child Brain Lab welcomes children aged 0–18 years with a wide variety of brain-related conditions. We select children based on their specific condition, starting with those brain disorders in which we have the most expertise. It is not possible to register your child yourself for the Child Brain Lab. Patients and their parents are invited to participate by the child’s treating physician. If you have questions about the Child Brain Lab, you can discuss them with your child’s healthcare provider.
Depending on your child’s age at the start of participation, we will invite your child up to five times for an assessment session. All participating children complete the same types of tests. Each test is adapted to the child’s age or functional level.
Access to the results
In addition to using the data for scientific research and clinical care, we also give children access to their own results. To do this, the Child Brain Lab is developing a special digital patient record for children, called the Self Portrait. In this app, children can prepare for their visit and view their results afterwards. The Self Portrait has been developed in collaboration with TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, MCW Multimedia Experiences, and of course, children from the Pediatric Brain Center. Through interviews, advisory groups, and co design sessions, their needs and preferences were carefully listened to. As a result, the Self Portrait has become a fun, child friendly, and positive tool.
The goal of the Self Portrait is to engage children in their care journey. We hope that this will help them feel more confident asking questions during appointments with their doctor and more motivated to follow treatments. The prototype of the Self Portrait is already finished, and we hope to implement it soon.
News and updates
