Child Spacing Out

It is a good idea not to wait, but go ahead and have this checked out. If she is staring, does she respond when you call her name? She may be just fine, but it is better to have it checked out than wait a few months.

K.,
I have a 12 year old son who was diagnosed with petit maul seziures when he was about 6 years old. It has been a long road but something that we have been able to go through. When we told the doctor she said that he needed to have an EEG done to see if he was having seziures, well he was (this was a test where the put about 21 things on his head and he needed to fall asleep). They had put him on depakote sprinkle pills and seemed to control them. We have just went off the depakote and seems to have outgrown them. Praise the Lord. we were told that he would have problems with Math and have found that to be true. Good luck and I would try to get to the doctor to move up your appointment and find out ASAP. That way you are not stressing out over the holidays!!

You have been given some great advise! I would make a Dr. appointment and keep track of her "spacing out". My husband has epilepsy - he had his 1st seizure at 27yrs old. After tests and appointments with the neurologist they said he probably had small seizures as a child but no one recognized them for what they were. The Dr. described them exactly as you are describing your daughter. I know the thought of your little one having seizures is scary, but most likely, as with most children, she will outgrow this - epilepsy is a treatable AND controllable condition, but it is not something to play around with.

Good Luck and let us know what the doctor says.

K., I am an RN with a neurology background. I don't know a lot about Autism but do know a fair amount about seizures. When she has another "space out" stand directly in front of her, face to face, and clap loudly several times. Watch her eyes to see if she responds at all. Watch her eyes to see if they are fixated, dilated, pin point size, unequal in size, rolled back in her head. During an episode are her arms, legs, fingers tense or stiff, hands in a fist or fingers spread out? You can have a very mild and more rare type of seizure and have only the "space out" with none of these other symptoms though. If she is normally a very active child and if this is something new you need to call you doctor right away, talk it over with them. If you feel your pediatrician is the type of doctor to act quickly and not "let's just watch this awhile" call them. If not, if your insurance will let you (without a referral, call a pediatric neurologist and get in to see them ASAP (there are several at VAnderbilt). I know you don't want to overreact but when you are talking about the neurological system, heart or another vital organ, I would much rather be safe then sorry.
I'll be praying for you.
D.

Hi K.,
Regardless of when her next check-up is due, I would go ahead and take her to the ped. just to make sure.
Jenn

Hi K.

I have a 14 month old that has been doing this. We seem to lose him for about 5-10 seconds and then he blinks several times (like you just turned on the lights in a dark room) and then he is fine.
My dr said it is probably petite mal seizures.
Keep track of them. Note her behavior after the staring spells and let your DR know.
My son't EEG turned out normal so hopefully he will outgrow them. Definately mention it to your DR but it helps to have a record as well so he/she can see a pattern.
Good Luck
J.

My sister's child has mild symptoms, she just won't admit it. I think he is fetal alcahol but she won't admit that either.
What he does is walk on his tippy toes alot. They he is very hard to get along with. Very fit pitching person. He does't play right.... he hits and don't know how to play with others. He will ignore you and not talk.... can tune you out easily. He doesn't like change of anything and when he has to change something.. it really stresses him out. Oh yeah.. he don't look you in the eye much. He is just a weird kid.

Oh yeah... and I almost forgot... he didn't start talking not even mumbling will he was nearly in kindergarten.

Now does your little girl do these things. Maybe it could be that she is almost 2 yrs old.
My little girl will space out sometimes. Usually she is sleepy and just finds a calm place and thinks. That is ok to do that.
Let me know how it all turns out.

My youngest son is a cancer survivor, but don't worry, I'm not mentioning cancer. However, when he was first being examined they asked if he stared into space. So they checked his hearing. You might have her hearing checked.

K., I think you should go ahead and contact the Dr & have that appointment now. This could be nothing, but it is always better to be safe! And regardless of other postings, if you child DOES have autism or something, your daughter is NOT weird! Autism doesn't make a person "weird", it is a neurological disorder that only makes that person think differently than neurotypical people. My son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder when he was 5 and he is a blessing to us! Just talk to your doctor about your concerns.

My son has epilepsy. It didn't manifest until he was 7 but he has more involved seizures than just staring. That can be a mild form of epilepsy but only a dr. can diagnose & it's hard if it's mild like that. Epilepsy is treatable & can be outgrown although my son didn't & he's 18 now. I would bring it up at the next appointment but wouldn't make a special one unless it's more obviously a seizure. The Epilepsy Foundation has a good website with helpful information on the different kinds of seizures & what to do if your child has one. There is still alot of misinformation. Hope that helps.

When I was a kid, I had what used to be called petit mal seizures. My Mom said I would just stare off into space. If I was talking, I would stop mid-sentence and then later pick right back up. I eventually outgrew it. I was on meds for a while but have been med free for apx. 25 years with no problem. I would go ahead and make an appointment. Next time it happens, try to videotape it to show the dr. Good luck.

If you are worried about it than I would take her to the Dr. now. It never hurts to go early!! That's what I would do if I thought it was an issue. K.

It could be a number of things, but I would not wait until March. I would make an appointment as soon as they can see see your child. Good luck to you and I hope everything works out for you.

I think you should consult your MD now. There is no harm in it.