developmental disability

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Is epilepsy a developmental disability?
Is mine?
Or is it just very common with a developmental disability and the literature is misleading..


My wife says it is...Well that is what she has learned, because it had started before I was 22 years old.
I can not find a straight answer.

I was diagnosed around 20 years old and of course it has had and still does make things a bit harder.
 
Hi R.C. Epilepsy can be a symptom of certain disabilities, and can qualify students for special education services. Epilepsy by itself is not necessarily a developmental disability. This is because there are many causes for seizures. Each person is deifferent.
 
Hi R.C. --

I agree with Skilly. Epilepsy can often accompany other developmental disabilities, and/or cause developmental delays, but it does not cause delays in all cases, nor are it's effects always irreversible. There can be a lot of variation in how seizure syndromes play out.
 
I have

to agree with both Skilly and Nak.

I've been a parent to a child with high functioning autism, who does NOT have seizures, and I have had seizures, ALL my life. My functional abilities are not developmentally delayed, once I recover from my t/c's. I'm a substitute teacher, and author, amongst other things.

I have known quite a number of special needs kids over the years--several thousand of them--some with E, some without--and those with E have not had developmental delays or disabilities caused by their E with the exception of 6 cases that I can think of. Those cases were cases where the seizures were refractory, and quite severe. (Those kids were quite young, and been in status quite a few times.) So it's really not the norm, especially at our age.

I have lived in Michigan, where your link is from. And that link says that yes epilepsy IS considered BY MICHIGAN'S STATE DEFINITIONS to be a developmental disability if the E has started before the age of 22. I don't know that that is the case in any other state....you'd honestly have to check, state by state....
 
Meetz - I am curious why you wouldn't say that you have Celiac Disease with one symptom being seizures?
There is a 1:10 chance that other members have Celiac if one does. So IF that is so, wouldn't you say your son has celiac with a symptom being neurological?

Gastrointestinal inflammation can cause symptoms such as neurological disorders. Whether this is from the inflammation itself or from the inability to absorb needed vitamins and minerals.
 
I work with adults with learning disabilities, and some with cerebral palsy, PKU, etc. All of the 3 ladies i work with have some form of epilepsy, and within the other houses in the company (all learning disabilities including autism) i'd say about half have epilepsy.

I wouldn't say that the epilepsy caused their developmental problems though, with the exception of one person i work with.
 
Hmmmm, well

I am not sure how to answer that, Robin. To tell you the truth, I think the Celiac IS the cause of most of my E--in particular the focal, myoclonic and electrographic forms. HOWEVER.....I was BORN with my E, specifically the t/c's and was only truly diagnosed with the Celiac this past year.

And yes, Andrew, my Asperger's son, I'm sure has the beginnings of it, but not as severe as I do. I think that his case is not nearly as pronounced...partly because I tried NOT to emphasize bread use in the first place, although my husband was employed by a pizza place for 17 years. I used a lot of fresh veggies, meats, fruits and the kids LOVED milk. Andrew couldn't deal with certain foods, still can't...

Here's the big problem though: Andrew is an Asperger's person, as you know has certain routines, certain things he values a lot. One of those things is his father's opinions about things---whatever his father says is GOLD. So what I have to say about changing his diet in order to help him, goes in one ear and out the other. Especially if it's going to be anything like mine. He sees my diet, and literally chokes. "I don't know how you can stand that ****, Mom." Of course, that's because of his father's influence....

Matthew, my older son, is not a celiac, although he looks identical to me. He IS an ADHD person, though, also like me. However, he has an impacted colon, thanks to a tornado leveling our house in 1994 in the middle of the night. He, too, flat out refuses to change his diet to be like mine. He DOES however, use spirulina to keep himself regular, and drinks plenty of water (about 3 liters a day, give or take.) He does eat a well-balanced, very healthy diet, with very little bread in it.

Confused yet???

:roflmao::roflmao::bigmouth:
 
My son has epilepsy and is delayed but in the state of wa epilepsy is a devolopmenal dissability. And he is being checked for Aspergers.If the state says so let them think it. But that does not mean you can not drive, or do anything else you want to.
 
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