Ataxia

Our Ataxia Service is the UK’s only clinic for children’s ataxia. It has been accredited by Ataxia UK as a centre of excellence, where people with ataxia receive the best possible quality of care and a co-ordinated service combining diagnosis, treatment, support and research. 

The clinic aims to provide the best possible outpatient care to children up to 18 years old and their families, both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. We have a full range of diagnostic facilities including advanced neuro-imaging.

Sheffield Children’s is also one of the national centres for genetic testing of ataxias.

Expert care

The service is provided by a Paediatric Neurologist Dr Santosh Mordekar, together with Professor Marios Hadjivassiliou, an Adult Neurologist who runs one of three adult ataxia centres in the UK.

They are supported by senior nursing colleagues who provide specialist expertise.

Both Professor Hadjivassiliou and Dr Mordekar are members of the Medical Committee of Ataxia UK, the national charity for people with ataxia. 

Both have contributed to the national guidelines for diagnosis and management of ataxia, which are regularly updated by Ataxia UK.

We provide expertise in ataxia for children, care from Ataxia Nurse Jackie Cutts, and other services such as speech therapy and physiotherapy. This will speed up diagnosis and ensure that parents and children receive the best possible support. We aim to:

• Provide specialist expertise in the diagnosis and management of the ataxias in children
• Provide signposting to the allied specialty services and local multidisciplinary teams
• Provide research opportunities and offer links and collaboration with other ataxia centres and allied specialties

Research

Dr Mordekar presents at national and international conferences about ataxia in children.

He is currently involved in pioneering research involving neuroimaging in children with chronic ataxia. He also collaborates closely with Professor Hadjivassiliou on additional research projects around ataxia.

Referral

Anyone interested in getting an appointment to attend the ataxia clinic should ask their doctor or neurologist for a referral. Referrals are accepted from GPs and neurologists throughout the UK.