​​​​​Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

​Staff 

Dr P Springer

Dr Springer is a developmental paediatrician and senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University. She graduated in medicine at University of Cape Town in 1980, then specialised in paediatrics (1990) and completed subspecialist training in Developmental Paediatrics (1991) at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. Since 2008, she has headed the Developmental assessment clinic at Tygerberg Children’s academic Hospital, a tertiary referral unit for children with a wide range of neurodevelopmental problems. Her specific interests include children affected by tuberculous meningitis, HIV, autism spectrum disorder and ADHD and her research has focused on these areas. She is working in collaboration with Columbia University, New York and the European Union-Autism EU-AIMS group  on two studies which aim to identify early biomarkers of autism spectrum disorder in the Safe Passage study cohort.

Peer-reviewed Publications (2009-2018)

A treatment-support intervention evaluated in South African paediatric populations with HIV infection or tuberculous meningitis.van Elsland SL, Peters R, Kok MO, van Toorn R, Springer P, Cotton MF, Grobbelaar CJ, Aarnoutse R, van Furth AM. Tropical Medicine and International Health. 2018 Aug 3. doi: 10.1111/tmi.13134. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30075490 

Five year neurodevelopment outcomes of perinatally HIV infected children on early limited or deferred continuous antiretroviral therapy. Laughton B, Cornell M,Kidd M, Springer PE, Dobbels EFM, Janse Van Rensburg A, Otwombe K, Babiker A,Gibb DM, Violari A, Kruger M, Cotton MF. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2018, 21:e25106 

Favourable outcome in a child with symptomatic diagnosis of Glutaric aciduria type 1 despite vertical HIV infection and minor head trauma.Thomas A, Dobbels EFM, Springer PE, Ackermann C, Cotton MF, Laughton B. Metabolic Brain Disease 2018 Feb 9, DOI: 10.1007/s11011-018-0196-4 

Neurodevelopmental outcome of HIV-exposed but uninfected infants in the Mother and Infants Health Study, Cape Town, South Africa. Springer P, Slogrove AL, Laughton B, Bettinger JA, Saunders HH, Molteno CM, Kruger M. Tropical Medicine and International health 2018 Jan. 23(1):69–78  DOI:10.1111/tmi.13006 

Familial-environmental risk factors in South African children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a case-control study.  Van Dyk L, Springer P, Kidd M, Steyn N, Solomons R, Van Toorn R. Journal of Child Neurology 2014 1-6 DOI: 10.1177/0883073814560630 

Spastic diplegia in children with HIV encephalopathy: first description of gait and physical status.
Langerak NG, Du Toit J, Burger M, Cotton MF, Springer PE, Laughton B.    Developmental Medicine and  Child Neurology 2014 Jul;56(7):686-94.    

​Characteristics of children with pervasive developmental disorders attending a developmental clinic in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Springer P, Van Toorn R, Laughton B, Kidd M.  South African Journal of Child Health 2013 7(3)95-99DOI:10.7196/SAJCH.530 

Value of different staging systems for predicting neurological outcome in childhood tuberculous meningitis
Van Toorn R, Springer P, Laubscher JA, Schoeman JF. Int J. Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 2012 May;16(5):628-632 

Early antiretroviral therapy improves neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants. Laughton B, Cornell M, Grove D, Kidd M, Springer P, Dobbels E, Rensburg AJ, Violari A, Babiker AG, Jean-Philippe P, Gibb D, Cotton MF  AIDS 2012 Aug 24;26(13):1685-1690 

Neurodevelopmental status of HIV-exposed but uninfected children: A pilot study. Springer P, Laughton B, Tomlinson M, Harvey J, Esser M. South African Journal of Child Health 2012 May 2012;6(2):51-55  

Tuberculous meningitis: barriers to adherence in home treatment of children and caretaker Perceptions.
Van Elsland SL, Springer PE, Steenhuis IHM, Van Toorn R, Schoeman JF,Van Furth AM. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 2012 Aug;58(4):275-279 

The Role of Aspirin in Childhood Tuberculous Meningitis. Schoeman J, Janse van Rensburg A, Laubscher J, Springer P. Journal of Child Neurology: 2011 26(8): 956-962 

Longitudinal developmental profile of children from low socio-economic circumstances in Cape Town, using the 1996 Griffiths Mental Development Scales; Laughton B, Springer PE, Grove D, Seedat S, Cornell M, Kidd M, Madhi SA, Cotton MF. South African Journal of Child Health 2010 4(4):106-111 

Cerebral infarction and neurodevelopmental outcome in childhood tuberculous meningitis. 
Springer P, Swanevelder S, Van Toorn R, van Rensburg AJ, Schoeman JF. Eur Journal of Paediatric Neurology 2009 Jul;13 (4):250-257  

Twenty Years of pediatric tuberculous meningitis: a retrospective cohort study in the western cape of South Africa. Van Well GT, Paes BF, Terwee CB, Springer P, Roord JJ, Donald PR, van Furth AM, Schoeman JF. Pediatrics 2009, 123(1):e1-8 

Home-based Treatment of Childhood Neurotuberculosis. Schoeman J, Malan G, Van Toorn R, Springer P, Parker F, Booysen J. Journal of Tropical Paediatrics 2009 Jun; 55(3): 149-154