House Concurrent Resolution 163
was debated on June 24 and
passed on June 26, 2008!
Click on the Capitol image above to stream the debate or click here to view or download the Windows Media File.
 Read the Dandy-Walker Resolution
View the Dear Colleague Letter
Contribute
today with our secure online credit card
donation form
President George W. Bush appoints Dandy-Walker Alliance member to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities for a two-year term beginning May 12, 2008.
Alabama-born songstress and Nashville recording artist
Laura Dodd
performed the title track "Songbird" from her most recent album on April 3, 2008 for members of Congress in the U.S. Capitol
to raise awareness for Dandy-Walker Syndrome. The title track was used in the documentary "Dandy Kids". To learn more about Laura, her connection to Dandy-Walker and to watch her perform live visit: www.lauradodd.com
A copy of the current financial statement of the Dandy-Walker Alliance, Inc. is available by writing 4422 Clearbrook Lane Kensington, MD 20895 or by calling (301) 919-2653. Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Maryland Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis MD 21401, (410) 974-5534.
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 What's New in the Dandy-Walker World?
Dandy-Walker awareness wristbands are now available to order.
Dandy-Walker information is available in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian.
Dandy-Walker Alliance information brochure is now available for download.
 Elsevier and Molecular Genetics and Metabolism have generously granted the Dandy-Walker Alliance permission to bring you the full text of Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, vol 80, 2003, pp 36-54, Parisi et al., “Human malformations of the midbrain and hindbrain: review and proposed classification scheme”. Please visit their site by clicking on their logo and thank them for allowing us to bring you this article for free.
Kathy Millen, PhD, explains understanding cerebellar patterning and development.
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National Institutes of Health research literature
(click NLM logo)
What
is Dandy-Walker?
A congenital brain malformation involving
the cerebellum (an area at the back of
the brain that controls movement) and
the fluid filled spaces around it. The
key features of this syndrome are an enlargement
of the fourth ventricle (a small channel
that allows fluid to flow freely between
the upper and lower areas of the brain
and spinal cord), a partial or complete
absence of the cerebellar vermis (the
area between the two cerebellar hemispheres),
and cyst formation near the internal base
of the skull. An increase in the size
of the fluid spaces surrounding the brain
as well as an increase in pressure may
also be present. The syndrome can appear
dramatically or develop unnoticed. Symptoms,
which often occur in early infancy, include
slow motor development and progressive
enlargement of the skull. In older children,
symptoms of increased intracranial pressure
such as irritability, vomiting, and convulsions,
and signs of cerebellar dysfunction such
as unsteadiness, lack of muscle coordination,
or jerky movements of the eyes may occur.
Other symptoms include increased head
circumference, bulging at the back of
the skull, problems with the nerves that
control the eyes, face and neck, and abnormal
breathing patterns. Dandy-Walker Syndrome
is frequently associated with disorders
of other areas of the central nervous
system including absence of the corpus
callosum (the connecting area between
the two cerebral hemispheres), and malformations
of the heart, face, limbs, fingers and
toes. 
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