2% Increase in Epilepsy

[CJR]

The other day I presented the school with a little fact I had picked up from a teacher friend of mine. The fact was that within our 800 student school (K-12) we have 10 students with Epilepsy/Seizure Disorders. Within hours of mentioning this fact I received word that the school has agreed to hold an Epilepsy Education meeting for the teachers. Yeah Me!!!

Well today I was called to the school for a meet and greet moment with the 504/IEP team. We have set up an appointment for Tuesday afternoon so that they can outline what they need from me and our doctors and so I can outline what expectations I have from them. Yeah AGAIN!!!

After setting up the meeting I went back to the elementary school nurse who told me that my comment the other day made her think. So she investigated and found out that within the 2007-2008 school year the elementary had a 2% rise in Epilepsy & Seizure Disorders in it's students! She was shocked by the number and quite frankly I am too! I had a rough estimate of 10 kids including the middle & high school students. If she had that amount of rise this year that means that there were 8 NEW CASES in the Elementary School ALONE!!!

Now that's got me thinking...Yes, That's the burning smell you've noticed...

Could there be an environmental factor going on at the school? Or do you think it could be caused by an awareness domino effect? One parent hears about a kid being diagnosed and it makes them realize that their own kid has symptoms like that which leads to another diagnosis and another parent hears...Hence the Domino effect?

ALL OPINIONS WELCOME!

[RobinN]

I think both are good conclusions.
Curious if your school district has good services, and perhaps the third reason would be that people are moving to your school district because they have children with this disorder.

A lot of children with autism, also have seizures.

[CJR]

I think both are good conclusions.
Curious if your school district has good services, and perhaps the third reason would be that people are moving to your school district because they have children with this disorder.

A lot of children with autism, also have seizures.

I'm not sure about good services yet but I'll let you know when I find out. And I asked about Autism being included and she said, "No, that get's it's own category in the computer." Still I wonder is 2% increase above average?

[RobinN]

However there is autism with seizure, and autism without

I remember a post where Bernard was searching for info to see if there was a study that showed an increase in areas of the world. He stated at the time that he wasn't able to location this type of study.

[Bernard]

Rates of epilepsy worldwide - percent of population

[skillefer]

Personally, I think it may be more a matter of awareness in parents. Also, with kids playing video games / watching cartoons with more flickering light effects, who knows, it may be triggering some of the kids.

[tinasmom]

CJR -

I am so glad you have made such great progress with the school. YEAH!!! When I went through HOPE training, the statistics were that 1 in 10 people will have a seizure. With a population of 800 students, that is 80 of them. It doesn't necessarily mean that they have Epilepsy, some people can have only 1 seizure in their lifetime. I am one of those people. At the age of 2, I had a seizure from a fever of 102.

[Nancy]

Could I just butt in and say that two years ago I was having dinner with some friends at their house ....
I had a complex partial during dinner (rats). He had seen them before and knew that all was OK .... I'd sit there staring, swallowing in silence for a minute or two and then be terribly confused for several minutes. His wife had never seen that and was SCARED. She sent their children (high school) away from the table fast and .....
I talk too much.
When I was "awake" I asked her -- an elementary SCHOOL TEACHER!! in an enormous school if she knew about epilepsy and seizures and she said she knew nothing - NOTHING. Their school had never heard a word about it. I tried to explain that she had several students who had epilepsy but she said I was wrong.