Son with Seizure's and Starting Kindergarten

Set up an appt w/his teacher as soon as you know who he/she is. Tell them what the issues are, what your concerns are. Ask to see the school (or district if it's a small school) counselor or psychologist-share your concerns with them too. And if you feel like it'll help, call in the principal as well. Their goal should be to make your child a success & the more they know from you about what he needs to make him a success the better they can help him. Give your email address to everyone & get theirs too. Be proactive-if he's left the house in a crabby mood, give the teacher a head's up. Ask that the teacher let you know if he's had an especially good or bad day & if he starts to have problems. You make the first move to keep communication lines open & hopefully you'll get the support you need. I have an LD son & his teacher & I email constantly-even just to say "hi, how's it going". She knows that I'm on top of everything he does at school & that I want to be an involved teacher. Coming from a teacher's kid, let me tell ya, teachers LOVE involved parents! If you're able, volunteer in his class one day a week. After a while, he'll forget you're there & you'll be able to observe him for yourself.
Good luck Mom!

Hi M.,

Have you tried Body Balance? If not, it's certainly worth a shot. We've seen lots of great results in children (and adults) w/ issues such as what you're describing as well as ADD, autism, asthma, etc. It's all natural and has a money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. In fact, we've seen many people who have been able to go off of their different medications after being on Body Balance for a bit.

You can check it out here: http://www.lifeforcesuccess.com

Let me know if you have any questions. ###-###-####

Hope this helps,

A.

My son has been on Depakote for the last 4 years and it causes more problems than it cures but it was all they had until now. There are a couple of new medications that are much better and actually approved for use in children. The one my son started a month ago which does not have the side affects and actually takes care of his problem I believe starts with an R but it's not Risperadol. I can't look it up as I don't have his paperwork available right now. Depakote also requires, as I'm sure you already know, monthly blood tests and is VERY hard on the liver. When a person uses it they really need to drink a lot of water to help flush the system or the toxins build up to much causing worse problems than the original one. I would do some research on your own and then consult your doctor to get a medication change. I'm actually quite surprised to hear this is the only medication your doctor is using for seizure as it is most used for bipolar and is suggested as a secondary to help seizure medications work better not a stand alone medication.

My youngest daughter started having seizures when she started kindergarten. Our doctor has put her on trileptal. She hasn't experienced any of the side affects that you say your son has. Her seizures are extremely mild so she doesn't need a very large dose. Have you spoken with your doctor about possibly trying a different medication? or advice on handling the side effects? I understand your frustration also. I would also recommend speaking with his teacher about his seizures and the affects the medication seems to have on him. Maybe if they understand it better they can better help him in class so that he doesn't get left behind or classified as disabled.

I would want to know if he is taking vitamins like Flintstone that have aspartame in it. One one the side affects of aspartame poisoning is seisures, another is headaches as it causes brain cancer. So many products on the market is tainted with this poison. Please check the ingrredients of everything he puts in his mouth, this might be an easy fix.

I taught all my kids to read at ages 3, 4 and 5. It's relatively easy to do. If you're willing to do it, perhaps you could home school for kindergarten. That way, he'd get the loving care he needs and wouldn't have the additional stress of dealing with his physical concerns in a public environment.

If you decide to do that and need a little advice on teaching reading (beginning with the sounds of letters), I'd be happy to help.

These early learning years can be stressful as we adjust our lives and make decisions, hoping the decisions work out the way we're anticipating, and sometimes discovering that the results are completely different from what we'd planned. It happens to all of us, generally beginning when we send them to school.

the reason for the IEP is your son needs a health plan in place. This is not difficult to accomplish. YOu don't say where you are - is it CO or another state? if you are in CO, please contact our parent to parent support network at www.p2p-co.org . We have a wonderful listserv for kids with a wide variety of disabilities, including seizures and we have a matching program, where you can be matched with another family with a similar child and you can talk with that family about how they have handled these issues. You can also contact www.peakparent.com in CO for info on IEPs and health plans.
If you are not in CO you can get info on similar programs in your state at www.nichcy.org, and click on state resources.

take care, S.

This might not be the response you are looking for, but have you considered homeschooling? I am currently homeschooling my kindergartener and have met several other families who for health related reason have homeschooled for a year or 2 just to get a better grip on the health issues. If you live in Utah there is an online program offered that you could do. The web address is www.K12.com, it might be an alternative. Homeschooling gives you the option to take half a day or a day off if he is having a bad day and also to work at his best time of day. Because you have only 1 student you get alot more accomplished in a shorter amount of time. There are alot of homeschool support groups or co-ops that you could join if you are worried about not having socialization. But I have to say that "not having socialization" is one of the biggest myths of homeschooling, we interact with all sorts of people, adults and kids, every day and when my kids get together with friends they actually get to play, interact and have fun, not just sit in a classroom. Homeschooling has really been a great alternative for us and I am surprised at how much I have truly enjoyed it.

I have a nephew with seizures -- also on Depakote, but he also has learning disabilities. I know they really worked with the doctor on dosing to minimize side effects. Have you talked to his doctor on reducing the dosage to see if you can minimize the side effects OR switching to a different medication that has fewer side effects for your little guy?
You may want to make sure you keep your IEP for kindergarten. It's not like special ed, and it makes the teacher more aware of your son's issues -- more like a head's up for the teacher than saying your son is disabled -- plus it will help him get the individualized attention he needs to stay on grade level. Good luck to you.

If I were you I would really consider looking into home schooling. This way you could work around his behavior and probably do more then the school to help him learn to try to control his emotions as much as he can since it is a side effect from the meds. Plus then if he does have a seisure he is with someone who knows what to do and how to handle the situation. Good luck!!!

Dear M.,
I am so sorry to hear of your situation. I have taken my child (no seizures but she had dyslexia) to someone who does Neuro-Link. This is a non-intrusive treatment with very good results. Call me ###-###-####) and I will give you their contact info and you can talk to them.
Good luck,
Dee

I would recommend looking into the wi-fi that might be in his school and home environment. If your son is sensitive than these Microwave Frequencies could be upsetting his system in this sever reaction.