Epilepsy and attention span.

[momofevan]

So the more I think about it the more I wonder. Even before Evan was diagnosed with epilepsy ( a year before +) He has always been "all over the place" and "very active". Could this have been because he has/had the abnormal brain activity going on?

We have recently been doing developmental therapy with him because I have had some concerns concerning his speech..He is 2 and says alot of words and can label things, but is not putting too many words together to make "phrases". Well his initial evaluation says he is nowhere near delayed and falls under being "typical" for his age. They are more concerned with his attention span.

Right now he is on zonegran, keppra, lamictal (small dose just started this) and klonopin. I do feel like these medications are not helping with his attention or the epilepsy to be honest. We are still trying to find the "right" cocktail.

But I guess my question is this..What else can I do to help his attention> any other parent go through this? I am concerned because if we can't keep his attention how is he ever able to be able to learn things properly... so frustrated right now!

[epileric]

My attention span has always been awful. I used to get upset at my mom for telling me the same thing 4 or 5 times. When I was an adult she told me that she'd said them 9 or 10 times (at least). Even now if I'm too tired, I have trouble reading the longer posts here at CWE. I usually look at them later when I'm more awake or less stressed.

I think for me it was when I accepted that I have a bad attention span (I'd always known it) that I was able to compensate but that was as an adult.

In the meantime I think the best thing you can do is be aware of how each medication effects his focus. It's hard because even though my mind drifts easily I don't always realize it.

Please keep us updated if you do find any way of helping. I'm always looking for myself.

[Rae1889]

Have you looked into neurofeedback?
They use it help with seizures, autism and ADD/ADHD so those all have problems with attention span. it might even be able to help you lessen the medication he is on.

Have you maybe looked into that the several medications are interacting or creating the side effect of lower attention span?

[lesley1110]

Hi, My daughter is 9 and has been diagnosed for 6 months. She too has a short attention span, struggles at school and has a wicked temper.
My advice to you would be, find things that your son is really interested in,eg, fire engines, a tv show, then use these types of things to maintain his interest and attention span. My daughter loves pets and we have made lots of counting games, spelling games etc with pets at the centre of her learning.
I work with children and it is worthwhile remembering that a child's attention span is related to their age,so a two year-old only has an attention span of two minutes. So when you want him to concentrate, make it short and then give him time to do what he wants.
We have also discovered that increasing her outdoor time and exercise has increased her ability to concentrate. If you want some further ideas, send a message and I will tell you some others.
Good Luck.
Lesley

[RobinN]

This is very common with many neurological disorders.
I suggest that you look at this site:
Stan Kurtz
He has some great suggestions, and also would offer you advice on finding a doctor that specializes in alternative ideas for treating the symptoms that you speak of.

[skillefer]

we teachers are seeing an increase in the number of kids with short attention spans. Here's some suggestions based on my experience...
1) limit TV.
research shows that letting your child watch tv as a baby, the higher their chance of developing adhd or add. This makes sense because as parents we know how quickly our kids learn things when they are infants. Well, if we use the tv as a babysitter, the child's brain learns to expect constantly changing stimulii....so train that brain with books and puzzles and toys instead.

2) if your child does have add or adhd, try breaking homework assignments into chunks....and have them either skip between chunks from different subjects, or get a break by standing or telling you a story or something between chunks...

3) before going for medication: look at your childs diet....too much sugars (this includes things like white bread, potatoes, noodles, etc...) will cause more difficulties.

4) before trying meds: try coffee...(this is an old teachers trick) for some kids, a cup of coffee is just as effective as pharmaceuticals. if you can get the child to drink black coffee, great. Most kids prefer something sweet. In that case, artificial sweetener and non-dairy creamer or cream work best...the important thing is NO sugar.

[hootie]

What worked great for my son (no seizures but multiple food allergies) was giving supplements recommended by Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Naperville, IL. The results we noticable within a day or two. He was hyper, could not focus, was defiant with me (mom) and would cry for two hours straight after his nap (which only lasted for 10-20 minutes per day, once a day). He was a wild man!!!

We started giving him extra zinc, magnesium and B6 among other supplements (dosing recommended by PTC)...and he became much more calm, had a sweeter disposition and stopped crying for two hours straight after his nap. We also took corn out of his diet and avoided artificials and other food allergens.

Some people need more of certain supplements than others due to higher need, lack of absorption, or whatever...

I would check out some place like this for help.