With the establishment of Movement Disorders as a subspecialty of Neurology in India and in many other countries in the MDS Asian and Oceanian Section (MDS-AOS), there is a growing need for educational courses in specific areas of Movement Disorders for manpower development in the MDS-AOS.  Rare Movement Disorders is one such specific area of Movement Disorders which needs more attention.  Orphan or Rare Movement Disorders (RMD) comprise a large number of rare and disabling disorders with a wide phenotypic spectrum that often emerge in childhood.  Many of these disorders are treatable and there needs to be greater awareness among the young neurologists of the MDS-AOS specifically interested in Movement Disorders.  One of the objectives of the Rare Movement Disorders Study Group of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) is to make a coordinated effort at an international level to advance RMD research, and increase education and awareness regarding these disorders.

This two-day regional education course on Rare Movement Disorders addressed the epidemiology, clinical characteristics and diagnostic and therapeutic approach to some of the important and relatively more frequent RMDs.  The course consisted of didactic lectures and video-based case discussions deliberated by International and National Faculty experienced in Movement Disorders.  The course was led by local Course Directors, Prof. Pramod Kumar Pal and Dr. Ravi Yadav, both of NIMHANS, and 12 additional faculty from India, Australia, Malaysia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The course was attended by 86 participants. Three quarters of attendees came from India and others from Bahrain, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.