Learning Difficulties: Conditions

Epilepsy

The following information comes from the Epilepsy Association of Scotland.

Epilepsy is a condition that affects one in every 130 people and means that a person has a tendency to have recurring seizures. It occurs in people of both sexes and cuts across all racial, social, age and ability groups. The spectrum of epilepsy is very wide. It includes people whose seizures have been completely controlled and who experience no side-effects from their treatment, people who have occasional seizures, and people who have very difficult to control epilepsy, whose seizures are frequent and severe and who sometimes have other disabling conditions. It is diagnosed most commonly in childhood and early adolescence but can develop in anyone at any age. It can also develop in the older person as a consequence of such factors as strokes, heart attacks; diminishing supplies of blood to the brain etc.

Epilepsy is generally divided into two main categories called generalized and partial.

Generalized epilepsy involves a disturbance in the brain’s normal electrical activity affecting the whole brain, and during which there will be some loss of consciousness. However there are several different kinds of seizure patterns in this generalized category with distinct features.

Partial epilepsy involves a disturbance in the brain’s normal electrical activity confined to a local area of the brain which causes either simple partial seizures or complex partial seizures (sometimes called temporal lobe seizures.)

In some cases partial epilepsy may develop into generalized epilepsy if the disturbance spreads from the localized area to affect the whole brain.

One type of seizure is known as ‘absence seizures’. These occur mostly in childhood or early adolescence, and involve a momentary loss of consciousness which can look like a very brief daydream and often happens so quickly that an onlooker may note nothing different. The person may or may not be aware that the seizure has happened.

Various reasons for which epilepsy may adversely affect the attainment of the child at school :

BIOLOGICAL

• possible underlying brain damage
  
• age of onset of epilepsy
  
• brain dysfunction
  
• anti-epileptic drug effects
  
• male sex (disturbed behavior more common in boys than girls)
  

PSYCHOLOGICAL

• undermining of the individual’s idea of self ( very low self- esteem and self-image)
  

SOCIAL

• attitude of others to individual
  
• family and friends
  
• peers (peer group may tease)
  
• teachers
  

PHARMACOLOGICAL

• the fact of having to take anti-epileptic drugs
  
• side effects of drugs
  
• effects of changes in drugs and drug routines

Why your child may underachieve at school because of :

• time off school
  
• after-effects of seizures
  
• adverse side-effects of medication, which may affect:
  - learning capacity - concentration and memory
  - alertness - over activity and drowsiness
  - motor capacity - hand/eye/speech co-ordination
  - general well-being - unsteadiness, vomiting
  
  
• possible limited curriculum - builds inhibitions and feelings of being different/neglected/isolated
  
• triggers within school - stress generated by change, boredom, inactivity, light sources
  
• reactions of peer groups and teachers to - the fact of epilepsy, taking drugs, seizures