seizures...what am I looking for?

Donna - posted on 03/13/2012

my son has absense seizures a kind of epilepsy which is not like a thrashing seizure, hus neuroligist did a EEG test and saw he has two while the test was going on.he was zoning out that much and almost 4. once neuologist saw him put him on meds he has not had one! she also said kids outgrow these and they do not go into thrashing kind of seizure, I would contact a pediatric neurologist if you don't have one.

Jessica - posted on 03/13/2012

could definitly be a seizure. seizures in little kids are more likely to happen at quiet times (when they realize they are tired or might try to fight it) get a referal to a neuro

Stephanie - posted on 09/24/2010

Hmm. Makes me think when my son who I believe is mildlly autistic was one year old he often would stop what he was doing and stare off in to space for a couple minutes. Sorry I can't offer advise but have had a similar experience and never before thought of a seizure. We are having him evaluated very soon and will let you know if I have more information.

Mandy - posted on 09/23/2010

Hi there i have epilepsy my self mine are gran mal seizures i have had them since i was 11 now im 35 the doctor's said i would grow out of them but they came back but hey im ok controled with medication.
The best thing you could do is take him to the hospital and demand a ECG or CAT Scan as the brain is so active when you have epilepsy its because the brain cant cope with all the activerty in whats going on there are so many different kinds of seizures mine is called NOT TURNAL as i have them when im sleeping but your son may grow out of them as he is so young there is a book you can get as well if it is Epilespy too and very good too called "Living with Epilespy" its a very old book wrote in the 80's but very understanding as well too.
But do take your son to see the doctor at the hospital as they can become worse.

Margaret M. - posted on 09/23/2010

My 16-year old has been on a "cocktail" of Lamictal and Topamax since he was about 6-1/2 (I know he was in 1st grade when we finally brought the seizures under control). We are waiting until after he gets through the "puberty" stuff to try to titrate him again. We've tried a couple of times over the past 4 years, but each time, he had a break-through "grand mal". So far, the only real side effects are: he cannot take any decongestants if he gets a cold, and he can't be outside if it's warmer than 80 degrees -- since the topamax has diminished his sweat glands and he could overheat and have a seizure. But this is all minor, considering that before he was brought under control, he was having about 100 petit mal seizures daily.

Summer - posted on 09/22/2010

Thank you ladies, We had the EEG and he wasn't having seizures but the tech who was doing the EEG said that he was having abnormal brain activity...What does that mean? That didn't make my husband or myself feel any better. His doctor actually phoned our house a few hours after we left the hospital and unfortunely we weren't home. So that made us feel a bit nervous too. I just wish I knew what was going on in his little head. Tonight will be a restless night and I will be calling his doctor first thing in the morning. Thanks again for all your advice and own experiences...It has helped so much!

Dionne - posted on 09/22/2010

My 5 year old son has them. It is called Petit Mal Seizures or Absent Seizures.His eyes will flutter or he will have a blank stare for about 5-10 seconds while in the middle of playing, watching tv, walking, etc...then go back to what he was doing as if nothing happened. Please have your son see your pediatrician who should recommend him to a neurologist. He may have to be monitored by EEG for 24-72 hours to see the actual amount he has on a daily basis, and have an MRI. I understand it is common in children with autism. With my son, it is not life threatening or doing any brain damage it just affects his speech. He has to to take medication to control the seizures and he is doing fine. The neurologist stated that he will probably have them until age 10.

Margaret M. - posted on 09/22/2010

My son goes to a pediatric neurologist that specializes in epilepsy. She is part of CHOP, which has a satellite facility in Princeton, NJ. He is now down to seeing her once a year, and receives EEGs every time. I'm thinking that he may be growing out of them, since the last EEG he had was much less active than the many that I've seen over the years.
His first EEG was about an hour long and it was a "sleep deprived" version. This way, they were able to let him fall asleep for a while to see if he had seizures while he was sleeping. He also had two MRIs over the course of 10 years.
Speak to your pedetrician and get recommendations for good pediatric neurologists and get your little one in as soon as possible.

Annette - posted on 09/22/2010

Hi Summer,
My 14 year-old with an Autism diagnosis is currently undergoing neurologic screening to determine if he is having seizures. He's older, so he has been able to report to us symptoms that make us believe something is amiss. It's mild...he loses time for a few seconds and initially thought he had dozed off. Other times he was active (walking, etc.) and reported that "the spinning made him dizzy," when he hadn't been spinning. Like your husband, mine was initially skeptical. Keep records of when you observe and what you observe. That will be a great help to the neurologists because your son may not be able to communicate. Also, bear in mind that unless other brainwaves are regularly affected, a seizure may not show anything on an EEG. My son had one and, because he didn't experience an episode during it, nothing showed. Doctor says that's how it goes. =(

But get in and get him tested! Good luck to you!
Annette

I-eesha - posted on 09/22/2010

I do know that seizures come in diffrent types. My 2 yr. old daughter has a little tremble and sometimes she jerk's. It mainly occures in the middle of the night,but she still function's. She's also being tested for Autism. She see's the nuerologists soon to see if there are seizure activities going on. So my best advice to you is that if you want to know if he is having a seizure,take him to see a neurologists before it get's worse. And if it's not seizure activity,at least you can rule that out. I will be praying for your son.

Margaret M. - posted on 09/21/2010

My 16-year-old has mild Aspberger's and a seizure disorder -- which, thankfully, has been under control for several years. He was about 5 years old when we first started noticing the seizures; they initially started out as a long blink, lasting a few seconds or so. Then he would "zone out" for a few seconds at a time. He had several of these a day. It took about 4 months to finally diagnose the epilepsy. Once diagnosed, there were several different meds that we tried. With each new med the seizures got worse and lasted longer (at his worst, he was having about 100 petit mal seizures a day). Finally, after 1-1/2 years and 3 different doctors, we found a wonderful pediatric neurologist that got him on the right med mix and were able to control the seizures.

We were told, when he was first diagnosed, that about 30% of children with Autism also have a seizure disorder. About 40% grow out of them, 30% stay the same, and the other 30% get worse. We've tried to titrate him off one of the meds, but he had a breakthrough, grand mal, seizure, about 2 years ago. He's still going through puberty, so maybe, when he's older we'll be able to try again.

Diane - posted on 09/21/2010

My son had seizures like what you describe back when he was 2 1/2. His doctor ordered a 30-minute EEG which didn't help because there was no seizure activity during the test. I remember how scarey the seizures were. Lots of detailed info on seizures and autism can be found here:
http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/med...

Lisa - posted on 09/21/2010

If you even suspect a seizure, get off the computer and make an appointment with a pediatric neurologist. It could be one of many different things & I'm sure the C.P. and other issues can complicate pinpointing what may be going on. He needs an EEG to see if it's seizures - they can look as mild as zoning out a little, so get your little one to the doctor, please. Let us know what the results are. Take care.

-----> Just saw your reply that you made the appointment. Good for you.

Becky - posted on 09/20/2010

It sounds like absence seizures to me. I agree with others about having it checked out. If the doctors want to medicate him, I would HIGHLY recommend that you research whether the side effects will out weigh the benefits, before starting any meds. The medications my neice took to control her seizures dramatically increased the developmental delays she was experiencing to due to autism.

Summer - posted on 09/20/2010

thanks ladies, His ped has ordered a EEG for a day after tomorrow. Thank you for the advice

Zenzele - posted on 09/20/2010

I would take him to his pediatrician to have an EEG done and a referral to a pediatric neurologist.

Lisa - posted on 09/19/2010

I have epilepsy/seizures and when I was first diagnosed it was just staring for a couple seconds... it can be freezing, to titening up. he is still young and at a stage where he can most likely grow out of it if caught and treated. you need to take him to a specialist who works w/ children w/those needs. go to a neurologist @ a children's hospital to get checked out. what they would do to see if he has seizures is check his brain waves. He will have a test either an EEG or CAT scan. don't take things lightly because he is just starting... you don't want him to get worse. go to the doctor... a Neurologist. Hope he is ok, but if anything I hope I helped & maybe he can grow out.

Sheila - posted on 09/19/2010

Hi Summer,

It really would be hard to even guess if this is seizure activity or not. Frequently, after a seizure, a child will become lethargic, or you might see a little spittle (if grande mal you would see a lot of drooling)...if it is seizure, your best bet is to see a pediatric neurologist to discuss your conerns...I have seen children go into seizure, but I have never seen eyes crossed...more of a fluttering .... but these are the children I have known...so many differences, so many possibilities.

See a specialist. If it is seizure activity, you need to have it investigated.

Sheila