HOW is the Life of an Epileptic Child Different From the Life of a 'NORMAL' Child?

[acshuman]

Can a child who doesn't have E even know that their life is different from from a child who does have E without having the adults around the child, who doesn't have E, telling that child that children w/E ARE different?

I feel that in many ways it is the adults that cause MORE problems for kids when those adults push their feeling onto an innocent child who doesn't know how to have negative feelings toward someone! Many times these children are led around just like:sheep:!

ACsHuman

 

[Hobbes]

For most people the only seizure they know of is a tonic clonic. A tonic clonic can be scary for anyone who sees one for the first time (and later), so it does depend on knowledgeable adults helping reframe any unsettling experience or making that workable for a child - not a skill most adults automatically have for every medical awareness issue, cultural ignorance or what have you. There weren't a lot of people who accepted left handedness at one point, look at the xenophobia in our politics today, and medical situations people can see are also problems... So while it is frustrating, I don't think epilepsy awareness is facing a unique problem.

My child hasn't had a TC that I know of. Getting school staff and other parents to understand there's more to epilepsy than TCs is where I try to shift people's awareness.

 

[Porkette]

Hi AC,
I found that E bothered the adults around me more than kids and it still does today. The public school I was going to was afraid of my absence and complex partial seizures so they kicked me out of public school and sent me to a boarding school in PA. for 3 yrs. so I wasn't with my family except on the holidays.
Today when I have a seizure at work some of my co workers get worried about it but the students just carry on and it doesn't even bother them, the only thing they may do is ask me if I'm feeling okay after the seizure is over.
Personally I feel more people need to wake up and learn about epilepsy and stop making such a big deal about it. I fought for one student who has epilepsy because the public school I went to was going to kick the student out of school just like they did to me back in the late 1970's it was then that I spoke up to administration and told them I would report them to the state if they did so the student didn't have to leave the school.
Wishing you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[Belinda5000]

You can't treat a child that has epilepsy any different just because they have epilepsy.
I was that child and my mother tried to not treat me just like any one else.Your like anyelse except when you have a seizure.

 

[acshuman]

A Child's Acceptance

One thing I have found out when speaking to groups about E is that the people who are the most willing to accept what I have to say is the children(grades1-6). Most of the time children like these haven't already made up their minds about E because they haven't had to learn anything about E. It seems to be the parents of these children who have the problem. I have had parents call their child's school to complain about how the school is allowing no-good thoughts to be put into their child's brain. Normally, I tell the school to send any complainers directly to me so that they can see the person who said those things. It is amazing how many of them never even contact me because the only reason they complained in the first place was to try and bully the school. They never thought that the person who had spoke at the school would want to see them face to face. When they realize that they are going to have to have some strong arguments to use in any confrontation, they just slide down into the glob of slime that they formed from to make that claim against the school.
Many times I see children who seem to be more mature than the people who SUPPOSED to be their parents!

ACsHuman

 

[Belinda5000]

I wouldn't have wanted to have been like some of the so called normal children who were bullies in grade school or high school. I kept to my self and I was quiet.I was just as normal as anyone else. I didn't do illegal drugs so I wasn't normal.

 

[acshuman]

NORMAL Requirements!

Blelinda,
I know just how you feel when it comes to NOT being accepted by schoolmates because you do something that they consider weird, but you do every day!
In the HS that I went to you were a real weirdo if you didn't get drunk every Friday and Saturday night at one of the many 'keggers' that students threw. The strangest part of this to me was that these kid's parents went to the liquor store and bought all of these kegs for their kids!
I have never consumed alcohol, so I was really an outcast. I would never be invited to any party of any type because they felt this way!
Beer had such a tight hold on the people in the area that you would see parents putting baby bottle's nipples onto beer bottles that were about a quarter full and then giving that bottle to their baby!
I know that today I am a sober man who made many decisions during my life. It is too bad that so many of my schoolmates thought that living through alcohol was the way to do things. They are now either NOT living or living a life of agony because of the decisions they made!
So, a person may think that they are the 'big smart person' at one time only to find out that their 'being smart' was the dumbest thing that they could have done!:twocents:
Luckily, illegal drugs had NOT made it out to the rural area I went to school in! So I never had to face that problem. I later moved to the BIG city and saw all of those drugs, but refused to use them because I felt I was already doing the correct thing because I hadn't taken them!

ACsHuman

 

[Hobbes]

That's a sad commentary on schooling from where and when you both went to school. Schools I know of today are actively working to stop bullying and drugs/drink are not something parents have ever commonly supplied kids - when I was growing up or now, although I knew a variety of kids with alcohol issues way back when, life gets messy. Now there are so many helicopter parents, things my friends got away with would never happen (not bad stuff, think extreme free range kid stuff, or normal childhood of long ago). My child with E has no issues with being treated poorly because of health issues, E is not the only issue. I'm at school nearly everyday for some reason or another, my child is not treated differently that I can see. I know of other kids with seizures there and really gotta say, seizures are not the issue but sometimes the autism or behavioral issues (not seizure medication side effects but other issues) that can happen with E are a much bigger issue.

 

[Fedup]

Are you asking "HOW is the Life of an Epileptic Child Different From the Life of a 'NORMAL' Child?" or are you saying that you believe that it is the Adults around the children that cause the problems.

The problem being that all parents will look out for there child's safety irrespective of the situation, however when the problem arises as a result of a medical problem then caution is advisable to safe guard the child in question. However what an uneducated parent of another child (as regards epilepsy) says or does to inform their child, is done in innocence and for the safety of their child. This can have a very negative effect.

Whether or not you have epilepsy does not decide whether or not you follow the crowd or do as everybody else. Just because you drink or smoke does not meant I have too, most irrespective of age realise this, there is a difference between right and wrong which we are all thought.

A child learns from its parents firstly and unless you can educate the parents along with the children this problem will persist.

 

[acshuman]

Child's Innocence

Fedup are you trying to say that talking to young students(children) is worthless because the child's parents will not let them take in any information that the parent disagrees with? That is something that can possibly take place, but it is still well worth the time spent to at least tell children that there are other facts that exist. NOT just what their parent's may claim to be facts. If any child is ever going to develop a good capability of making decisions on their own, they have to be given all of the facts, NOT just the incorrect tales told to them by their parents.
It is amazing to see children who have been given this additional information. They may go home and try to discuss what they have learned with their parents, but in many cases those may parents refuse to talk about anything that differs from what they believe. When the children see this, they start to wonder why their parents won't talk to them. In turn the children can ask some questions of their own and find out the real facts. If they have already been told those same facts by a speaker, they just may decide that everything their parents tell them is NOT the actual facts.
This means that by doing the presentations to the children telling the truth about E you may have found some children that will continue to ask questions and want more information! We definitely need all of the people who have questions about E to ask those questions and we need to be willing to give them the true answers to help them become more knowledgeable about E!

ACsHuman

 

[Belinda5000]

If you take adults and give them the facts on what to do you'll be suprised at how they'll react especially when there your friends; In my congregation they had some information on epilepsy and what to do if someone had a seizure.I'm one of three people who have epilepsy and I have the worst controlled the other two are almost completely controlled or there's are really mild.

I was ask quite a few questions after the article and I explained it was pretty much out of date and what to do if I ever had a seizure.

I taught quite a few people what to do if they see me have a seizure or someone else.
Belinda

 

[Fedup]

acshuman

Are you asking "HOW is the Life of an Epileptic Child Different From the Life of a 'NORMAL' Child?" or are you saying that you believe that it is the Adults around the children that cause the problems.

If you reread what I wrote the first thing I do is ask a question.

The problem being that all parents will look out for there child's safety irrespective of the situation, however when the problem arises as a result of a medical problem then caution is advisable to safe guard the child in question. However what an uneducated parent of another child (as regards epilepsy) says or does to inform their child, is done in innocence and for the safety of their child. This can have a very negative effect.

There is the point of view maybe from a parents point of view, I do not know.

Whether or not you have epilepsy does not decide whether or not you follow the crowd or do as everybody else. Just because you drink or smoke does not meant I have too, most irrespective of age realise this, there is a difference between right and wrong which we are all thought.

This was about where you wrote "In the HS that I went to you were a real weirdo if you didn't get drunk every Friday and Saturday night at one of the many 'keggers' that students threw. "

A child learns from its parents firstly and unless you can educate the parents along with the children this problem will persist.

Any misconceptions a child has usually comes from what it learns and where is the first place it learns? At home.

It is not wise to make assumptions or to infer something that somebody did not say, nowhere did I say or hint "that talking to young students(children) is worthless because the child's parents will not let them take in any information that the parent disagrees with?" I did say educate the parents as well as the child, this is not something, as you say "That is something that can possibly take place" but should take place.

Every child is going to develop mentally and physically, they will develop the capacity as well to make decisions, they will be influenced by there surroundings, education, and various other things without any help, however better decisions can be made when all the facts are made aware to them.

It is amazing to see children who have been given this additional information.

I have seen these children myself. Presenting something to children and trying to enlighten them can only be good, however you can only describe what is perceived to be the truth and what your experience was and is, as everybody's experience is different in some way. In order to become more knowledgeable about E we need education about E.

 

[Belinda5000]

don't judge ppl

The life of a child with epilepsy isn't much different from a so so called "normal child" They may be a little more caring to others who have health conditions.
I've never been one to judge one because of health conditions or size. I judge a person by how they treat me and other people.

 

[seagull]

I think if child comes from family with e then it ingrained they think nothing of it I am going by myself and daughter as e example
.In my day at school it would been harder again I think parents of e and not would been problem

 

[Blonde Angel]

Its about attitude really.
We all have various challenges in different ways and one should do what ever makes them healthy and well adjusted individuals. Loving Parents have the job of helping any child reach their potential .. epilepsy or not.

The main emotional issues that kids with epilepsy would face would be just as comparable with what ALL kids have to contend with. This includes being prone to expressing anxiety, behavioural and depressive problems.

Its important not just for parents but anyone to understand its ok for their child to be feeling their emotions, it does not mean something is wrong with them.
All of us epilepsy or not go through a wide range emotions of anger, sadness, irritability if its in the right context.

Also, kids need to learn from setbacks, that enhances resiliency, I know my twin boys will be more caring and open minded from their challenges their big Sister has in her life.
All part of growing up.

 

[Porkette]

One thing that a lot of public schools should do is explain to teachers that sometimes a student with epilepsy will feel tired a lot of the time and find it harder to focus all do to the seizure meds they are taking. I have found that I have had to speak up to teachers and administrators in the public school where I work and tell them to stop putting down the student do to their grade being a little lower sometimes. It's not the student it's the meds they take that make them tired and this is why I had a workshop with teachers at my school about this matter. Wishing all of you well and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[seagull]

Google St piers school nype get good idea about children with e and parents school etc my daughter went there.amazing place