Seizures connected with behavior issues?

Hi everyone! It certainly can be frustrating reading about possible brain/behavior relationships but it's more frustrating not knowing any links or what to do. Advocating for your child in school is easier when you have as much info as possible about child's strengths and weaknesses/challenges. If not done yet, ask the neurologist to get neuropsychology testing so you can better understand what is going on. This can be of enormous help to teachers as well. The type of core testing done in schools is usually not as comprehensive and won't pick up many of the issue identified in neuropsych testing. Then ask neuropsychologist to give recommendations on how to manage the behavioral issues. For example, a child who is having attention or disruptive behaviors may be helped more by changes in environment, more structure, or positive discipline measures, rather than detention that takes away any breaks for the child! Take a look at this links and the related content to see if helpful. http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/social_thinking.html Also, take a look at the book, Navigating the Special Education Maze. Can't remember the author, but I'll look it up for you.. Also remember to take care of yourselves! Hope some of this helps. Take care, Epilepsy.com Resource Specialist

Hi Jen! My daughter has been having grand mal and petit mal (good old fashion terms) for two years. During those two years we have learned alot on predicting when one is coming on. If Blakely starts acting up, as in screaming, ill tempered and irrational and hits and kicks, and bites, and is just pure horrible and into everything...look out! I seizure is on the way within 12-48 hours. It never fails anymore, if she is experiencing what is typical terrible twos behavior x10, then she is gonna seizure, and she is almost six! So yes, bad behavior is linked with the seizures. Another thing to look for is speech changes. Blakely's speech will be slurred and stuttery and sometimes she struggles for words and her thoughs. SO you might find that too. Good luck and hang in there! Sonya

I am new here, and in need of alot of help. My son is 3 years old. He had his first seizure last October of 05. I didn't know what was going on with him and thought he was dying in front of me. That day he seemed to be very aggressive. Hitting me and biting me. Acting very abnormal. When we got home he had his seizure. He was rushed to the hospital and they told me that kids just have seizures and he would never have another one. Well, in November (05) he had 4 in one day and was once again rushed to the er. This time they kept him. His MRI and CT scans came back normal, but the EEG came back and said that there were seizure activities. The Dr put him on Depakote SPR 125mg one pill in the morning and two at night. Now I had noticed behavioral problems with him before the seizures in him, but the Depakote seemed to make them worse by 10 fold. I told the Dr that he was not sleeping at night after taking the meds. He told me to change it to two in the morning and one at night. Still it didn't work. The Dr said to give him two in the morning and two at night, because Depakote is also used for bipolar and ADHD. Still nothing. Actually he got worse. And then in December he had another seizure that lasted longer than 20 minutes. That was the worst. After the seizure and when we got home from the hospital, he didn't know simple things like what milk was, peoples names, etc. The Dr then upped his dose to three in the morning and three at night. Now that is 750mg of medicine. I didn't think it was possible, but he got worse. He bit me so hard on my shoulder that he almost broke skin. He kicks me and hits me. I have not seen a seizure since December, but I think he is still having them. Sometimes he will have the blank stare like the Absense seizures, but I will call his name once or twice and he will respond. He has had bruises on his forhead and doesn't know how he got them and never came to me crying that he was hurt. One of the other things he did when he had a seizure was wet himself. There are nights that he will have wet the bed and I will wake him up to change him and he wakes right up (he does not seem postictal like the first three seizures). I don't know if I am crazy or paranoid. His Dr doesn't really seemed to listen to me. I took him to a psych Dr. and he told me that my son has ADHD. I have tried to see if there was any link between the two. I have not found anything yet. I am very new to epilepsy and I have done as much research as possible. I am very frustrated, and very confused. His Dr also said he has (not sure if I am spelling it right) Idopathic generalized seizure disorder. When I looked it up it said that it is a disorder of unknown origin. It sounded so basic. If anyone here can help me I would appreciate it. I am almost at my wits end. Michele