Question about children of epileptic parents

[mamaruns]

Does anyone know if there's a correlation between having epilepsy, and having a child with developmental/speech/audio processing disorders and/or ADHD?

My 7 year old son has these issues. I've also come across someone that was diagnosed with TLE in her 30's and she has a younger child with similiar issues. Like me, she didn't take any AED's while pregnant because she wasn't diagnosed until later. I'm not sure if it's just coincidence or not, but I'd really like to know.

 

[xenome]

Its possible. My mother has epilepsy, and me and my sister have it too. That same sister and one of my brothers have had speech disorders growing up. I never thought there might be a connection.

 

[mamaruns]

My daughter had speech issues also when she was little, but not as bad as my son's. She went to speech therapy from kindergarten through 2nd grade, but is completely fine with it now. She also told me recently that she has odd audio hallucinations like me at times (music, muffled voices), and since she was little she sees patterns of colors in her vision at times. It really has me worried that I've passed something down to my kids.

 

[Bernard]

Does anyone know if there's a correlation between having epilepsy, and having a child with developmental/speech/audio processing disorders and/or ADHD?

I think there is a lot of potential for these disorders to be related to birth defects caused by AEDs.

There is (or was) a class action lawsuit in the UK over epilim (depakote/sodium valproate) causing such problems. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to find out that other AEDs carry a similarly increased risk of these problems.

 

[Bernard]

She also told me recently that she has odd audio hallucinations like me at times (music, muffled voices), and since she was little she sees patterns of colors in her vision at times.

Sounds like she might be experiencing auras (simple partial seizures). Has she been tested with an EEG while experiencing these episodes?

I would highly recommend looking into EEG neurofeedback to normalize the brain activity. Hopefully, you can arrest the progression (if I'm right) before she starts experiencing other types of seizures.

 

[mamaruns]

I think there is a lot of potential for these disorders to be related to birth defects caused by AEDs.

I wasn't taking any meds at all while pregnant, so I know it's not from that.

Sounds like she might be experiencing auras (simple partial seizures). Has she been tested with an EEG while experiencing these episodes?

Yes I was wondering that myself, although she doesn't complain of feeling strange when it happens. She hasn't seen a doc yet, but I will probably get her checked out soon. She just told me about this recently but it doesn't seem to be a problem with her.

I actually have a referral for my son to get an neuro evaluation. There's been other things going on with him that make me wonder if he's having little seizures. I could be wrong but I would feel better getting that possibility ruled out. When we take him I'll talk to the doc about my daughter also and see what he says.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[brain]

Defining Normality and Abnormality

Does anyone know if there's a correlation between having epilepsy, and having a child with developmental/speech/audio processing disorders and/or ADHD?

My 7 year old son has these issues. I've also come across someone that was diagnosed with TLE in her 30's and she has a younger child with similiar issues. Like me, she didn't take any AED's while pregnant because she wasn't diagnosed until later. I'm not sure if it's just coincidence or not, but I'd really like to know.

I'm adopted, not much of a medical
history on my record except of:
"maternal's grandmother had by-pass
surgery and was successful" and in
another document from Health Dept.
which merely implied that the 2 siblings
which a sister and brother who were
older than I "appeared to be healthy".

But my adoption was preplanned and
when I was born, had birth defects,
and while normally - preplanned babies
were often put up for adoption shortly
after birth, but not so in my case - it
was months before I was even placed
for adoption. For added insult, no one
knows what has become of the records
sustaining from birth to the time they
put me up for adoption (Apr - Dec) and
even worse, there's no birth protocol
papers either (although babies - adopt-
ed or not born before and after me had
theirs); this is not the same as the one
that the Hospital measured and weighed
after the birth. Because of it being a
preplanned adoption - the Adoption
Agency was responsible for everything
afterwards. So from that time span is
totally a "__(BLANK)__ ".

Even when I was adopted, I couldn't
even lift my own head on my own, had
to be supported - and when I talked,
was very dysarthric, even when I grew,
I was very similar to what you are
in describing your son, except I was
very hyper - but I was NOT ADHD or
ADD - just very hyper; superiorly
brilliant ~ but yet can be superiorly
a dimwit. It was a roller coaster, ups
and downs... but all in all - it was
PROGRESSIVE! Doctors and Hospitals
didn't know what it was, but they knew
it was there, but knew not how to treat
it. The most hardest question of them
all, even today .. is when a Doctor asks
me this:

"What is abnormal to you?"

How am I supposed to know what is
abnormal? I spent my entire life this
way - EVERYTHING is normal to me,
I do not know what is normal or what
is abnormal.

Hence the complications of communica-
tions trying to talk to me:

• as a child
• as a young teen
• as a matured teen
• as a young married woman
• as a middle aged woman

It's hard to communicate, because I do
not understand what they are looking
for ... until around 1997 when more
resources began to become available
online - then by 2000's - they have
flooded the basement; and I've then
begun to understand...

What is normal and what isn't.

THIS MIGHT BE ONE TROUBLESOME
ISSUE WITH YOUR CHILD - trying to
discern and discuss the normality and
abnormality of things. For if I were in
the child's shoes, all of these things
would have gone over my head, and
I'm being honest.

Think about it. I think many children
are being frequently misdiagnosed
all because for that very same reason
I've implied above.

 

[mamaruns]

THIS MIGHT BE ONE TROUBLESOME
ISSUE WITH YOUR CHILD - trying to
discern and discuss the normality and
abnormality of things. For if I were in
the child's shoes, all of these things
would have gone over my head, and
I'm being honest.

Think about it. I think many children
are being frequently misdiagnosed
all because for that very same reason
I've implied above.

I completely understand where you're coming from. I often ask myself what is "normal" to my son. He was such an angry, difficult toddler and I'm almost sure it was frustration due to being unable to communicate the way he wanted. He couldn't even say his name right until he was 4, but I know he's no dummy. I know that sometimes sounds get jumbled in his hearing...I could tell by watching him go through testing. Usually I make sure he's looking at me when I talk, I think lip reading helps him understand better. I've noticed lately that the older he gets, the more he seems to somewhat "normalize", so I don't know if it's something that he's truly outgrowing, or if he's just learned to adapt. I think it's a little bit of both. I often wonder if he's been misdiagnosed on some things also. We'll see what the neuro says, I'm still waiting for them to call with an appointment.

Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[stringbean]

I was on dilantin while pregnant with my youngest daughter (I had not been diagnosed with E until my many years after my two older daughters were born) I was told that the risks to her because of taking this med was, low birth weight, cleft palet (sp?), a hole in her heart, and/or a slower learning than other children her age. I was told that the risk was higher of something happening to her if I didn't take any seizure meds while pregnant.

I also for awhile was very confused about what was wrong, she did only weigh 5lb 6 oz.,
and has ADHD. It did take her longer to understand and able to do things that other children her age could. She is a very artistic, she sings wonderfully even writes her own little songs, and more.

She was held back in second grade due to her slower learning than most other children, however she is now in 3rd grade and doing wonderfully all A's and B's.

She is on meds for ADHD, when she was about 5 she started showing some signs of absence seizures, I took her to a child neurologist and she couldn't say if they were seizures or not. She wanted her to have EEG, and if nothing showed on it then in hospital for VEEG, her father and I decided that we would just wait a bit longer to do this, this may sound like we were neglectful or didn't care if she was having seizures, however, she wasn't expiercing these much and had not been dianosed with her ADHD yet and we knew at that time they would not be able to get her to do what they would expect her to.

She is now 9 will be 10 in July, she has not shown any signs of any type of seizure, we all keep a close watch on her for any signs, I also inform her teachers what to watch for and to write anything of the symptoms down and let us know about them.

Oh, I can go on more this is getting pretty long.