August 24, 2001

For years, children and adults suffering from learning and developmental disabilities often had few options for comprehensive care and met with little understanding of the difficulties they faced. Thanks to a special team of clinicians and staff, there now is a welcoming place for such patients: Learning And Developmental Disorders Evaluation and Rehabilitation Services (LADDERS), which is affiliated with MassGeneral Hospital for Children.

"My interest always has been in helping patients with learning disabilities," explains Margaret Bauman, MD, founder and director of LADDERS.

As supervisor of the outpatient pediatric unit at Youville Hospital in Cambridge, Bauman noted the need for a full-scale clinic capable of treating patients with all types of neurological conditions. In 1981, she began the program that eventually evolved into LADDERS.

LADDERS expanded into new headquarters in Cambridge in 1995, under the administration of the Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital. The pressures of rising managed care costs, however, left LADDERS under increasing financial strain. In January 1997, the program caught the eye of Alan Ezekowitz, MBChB, DPhil, chief of Pediatrics for MassGeneral Hospital for Children.

"Dr. Ezekowitz saw the program and suggested bringing it to the MGH," explains Bauman. "It was wonderful to take LADDERS into a nonprofit environment where much-needed philanthropic support is possible, and to combine it with an academic medical center where teaching the next generation of caregivers and researchers is an ongoing process." Today, Bauman says Ezekowitz remains a source of support and encouragement for the LADDERS program, which is housed in space shared with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Wellesley.

Bauman and her team work with children and adults suffering from a wide range of neurological disorders, including autism, Rett syndrome, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder and seizures. LADDERS caregivers represent both the MGH and Spaulding.

LADDERS' initial goal was to combine the care of a physician with that of other professionals – from disciplines such as neuropsychology, nursing, speech and language pathology, occupational and physical therapy, social work and special education – involved in the treatment and support of learning and developmentally disabled patients and their families.

Bauman emphasizes that LADDERS, as a not-for-profit organization, relies heavily upon outside support – particularly that of a group called the Friends of LADDERS (FOL). Comprised of parents, civic leaders, business professionals and other volunteers, FOL strives to raise funds for the underwriting of LADDERS' day-to-day operations, as well as for expansion projects. "Everyone involved with LADDERS really wants it to work," notes Bauman. "Our biggest concern is supporting the program and financing its growth."

Bauman says she hopes that LADDERS eventually will be able to offer such initiatives as social skills training for patients and educational assistance for college-bound handicapped students. Plans also are under way for the establishment of LADDERS West in California.

Bauman, at left, give a "high five" to a LADDERS patient at an open house event.

"Many people don't recognize the possibilities that are open to our patients, and we want to help them achieve their potential. Watching these patients become successful is what keeps us going," Bauman says.

For more information about LADDERS, visit www.ladders.org