26 Month Old with Seizure History Showing Signs of Outburts

It sounds like it could be seizures. I had a student who would zone out like that. She wouldn't lash out when she came out of the seizure, but she would be really snippy and would be uncharacteristically rude. A friend of mine has a grandson who has similar seizures. Sometimes as many as 45 a day when it was at its worst. I would definitely mention it to his doctor!

ETA: I sent a message to N. (original poster) regarding how to respond & thank members, & also let her know how to update her information on this & future posts using SWH.

Original: Having studied anti-seizure medications last semester, it does sound like your son is having symptoms of seizures. Unlike what is shown in movies, seizures are not always thrashing & jerking (known as tonic-clonic). The "zone out & staring" is also a key feature of seizure disorders.

I would recommend making an appointment with a specialist to follow up. Let them know what his symptom are - they may get you in sooner as a result, & may instruct you to go to the ER if it occurs again. A friend of mine had a toddler that was exhibiting similar signs as your son - but she wasn't being taken seriously. Told she was "startling" her child (her 3rd!). So she videotaped his seizure with her cell phone & showed the ER Dr. that day, neurologist consults were immediately brought in to treat him.

Hoping for the best results for your son! T. :)

First, let me suggest that you edit the title of your question to say something specific, like "22 month old with seizure history, staring, outbursts." I think you may get more replies from people who have excellent experience with these issues. Cut and copy your current title ("Anyone have any idea....?") and put it within the body of the question.

You have a developmental pediatrician, which is a good start. But you don't sound overly confident in her conclusions, so I think it's time for a second opinion. You could go the behavioral route or the neurological route.

Can you video his staring and subsequent outburst? Do you have any warning when this will happen, or is there enough time when the zoning out start before he "comes to" and reacts by lashing out? I would think that would be essential info for any diagnostician. There may be very subtle actions or changes in his actions/body position that would be essential. If you aren't always right there with a cell phone that makes videos (which can be very short), perhaps someone you know has a Go Pro camera, which has a longer time frame. Maybe you can borrow it and set it up in the play area or wherever you tend to put your child down for periods of time.

A lot of people have suggested that our son maybe having another kind of seizure and they may be right. I'd suggest you follow up with your neurologist or developmental pediatrician about this, because have another kind of seizure may be likely.

However, I'd like to chime in with another perspective. I've had seizures in the past and I hated how the meds made me feel. I was so heavily medicated for awhile that I felt like I was in what I called a :fog brain." Like your son, I used to space for a short amount time because I was so overwhelmed by how drugged I felt.

It's possible this is ihow your son is feeling. Some of those seizure meds are very powerful, so me may e feeling their effects but is unable to tell you. I'd suggest you'd gt him tested for more seizures while asking at the same time if this is a side effect from the medication.

Good luck.

We have seizures in our family too - and you can have more than one type.

I also had a child who was misdiagnosed with autism at the same age as yours - so know what it's like to be confused and wondering if they will figure your child out. My child wasn't hitting milestones.

In the end mine had frequent colds and ear infections. So the fluid in his ears made his balance off (making it hard to stand or walk). His behavior changed - he would be rough/frustrated/tantrums - and he wasn't able to hear clearly - so his speech was delayed. I've known 3 other families who ended up at ENT in the end as well, that's what it was. So I just wanted to mention it.

My niece has absence seizures. You can be talking to her and she just starts staring. She is disoriented when she comes back at times. Most of the time she doesn't know she's having them. But she can be disoriented and upset.

I agree with everyone below. Film it. Record when it happens. Also - keep a log. Seizures don't always have triggers - a lot of the time they don't - but you may as well keep a log and just record when they happen and what's been going on. I just print out a copy of a calendar sheet off internet and record it when it happens. Anything he just ate, if he didn't get enough sleep, what activity he was doing, etc. All that is helpful when you go in. If you can see patterns, that will help you too.

Good luck :)

Sounds like absence seizures. Please see his neurologist.

Zoning out can be an absent seizure. I suggest you talk with the doctor who us treating him.

He probably feels out of control or scared at these times. Some kids handle anxiety, fear or anger by acting out. At 2 he may be realizing/feeling his emotions differently and needs help learning about his feelings and how to express them appropriately.

He sounds frustrated, like most 2 year old children. I would discuss this with his doctor just to reassure you this is a discipline issue and nothing medical but there is a reason they call them the terrible twos.

My younger son is autistic and I felt it was too easy to excuse behavior as being something he can't control. In some cases it was but in other cases he was being pretty normal and needed to be disciplined not excused. I found his doctor to be the best resource in that area. He is doing this, autism or normal behavior?

How long does the zoning out and staring last? Seizures sometimes look like that, so since he's had seizures before, that's what I would think.

I'm sure your pediatric neurologist will be able to help you, but to me, this sounds like absence seizures.

http://www.healthline.com/health/epilepsy/absence-petit-m...

:)

My daughter had febrile seizures when she was younger and we could always tell one was coming when she started to zone out and her eyes got glassy. Sometimes we were able to bring her temperature down safely in time and other times not. But yes, it sounds like seizure behavior to me.

Have you met with pediatric neurologists?

Per your SWH - you can't respond individually. You can add to your SWH box if you want, but that's it.

Can you video this? I think it's really important to get him to a pediatric neurologist. Show the neurologist a video of it.

Is there a children's hospital anywhere in your area? Even if you have to travel? You should have him evaluated by a team of specialists. They usually work together to help you with a diagnosis and early intervention plan. At 24 months, he needs to be in speech therapy, and possibly Occupational Therapy. Please work hard on this if your developmental ped isn't making these recommendations.

It could very well be seizures. Please video one of the incidents and see a neurologist ASAP.