My niece was actually diagnosed with childhood epilepsy when she was seven years old. My sister said that in hindsight she really should have been diagnosed much younger. Because when she was about four years old she would sit and stare like she was daydreaming and during these episodes she would usually wet her pants, even though she was completely potty trained. Looking back on those episodes she now feels they were petite mal seizures. Her grand mal seizures started when she was seven years old. Since my sister is a Registered Nurse, those of us with no medical training shouldn’t feel guilty for not recognizing signs of serious medical conditions in our own children.

A huge issue with childhood epilepsy is being ostracized by friends and other children. When seizures happen at school, classmates may be afraid of what is happening or they may make fun of the child. Sometimes just explaining to the children what is happening and how they can help a child that is having a seizure will be enough to prevent loss of peer respect and relationships. My sister went into her child’s classroom at school, which was prearranged with the teacher, and explained what was happening to her daughter. She then explained to the class how they could help her daughter and prevent her from being injured. She said from that day on all the children in her class wanted to help her, so the teacher had to make a list and have them take turns. Throughout her elementary career none of the children made fun of her even though she struggled with learning and reading and participated with services everyday for learning disabled children.

Fortunately for her she outgrew her childhood epilepsy. Her seizures stopped after she went through puberty. While learning was very difficult for her though out her entire school career she did graduate, she received her high school diploma and a certificate for completing cosmetology. She passed the state boards for licensing on her first try and is currently employed as a cosmetologist.

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Life/children/ “About 300,000 American children under the age of 14 have epilepsy. It affects children at different ages, and in different ways. For some, it will be a temporary problem, easily controlled with medication, outgrown after a few years. For others, it may be a lifelong challenge affecting many areas of life. Medical treatment of childhood epilepsy is getting better, and research towards a cure continues. More medications are now available. For children whose seizures are not controlled by medication or who experience unacceptable side-effects, several treatments including surgery, the ketogenic diet, and the vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) may be effective in treating their seizures”

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