Search Results for: blog our son has epilepsy

Iowa Court Says Disabilities Act Covers Severe Allergies

An Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that children and adults who have severe allergies are protected from discrimination by the federal Americans With Disabilities Act. Those who have epilepsy are also protected by it. This decision is different than a previous one by an Iowa district court. In 2011, Shannon Knudsen sued Tiger Tots Community Child Care Center in Madrid, Iowa. The reason for the lawsuit was because the Child Care facility declined to accept her child specifically because the child had a tree nut allergy. The case was heard by an Iowa district court. The court ruled that the … Continue reading →

Michael Savage Thinks Epilepsy Medication Affects Cognition

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Michael Savage is a radio personality who has been known to make some controversial statements. Recently, he said that epilepsy medication causes “cognitive problems”. This is not true. His misinformation might make people assume that children, and adults, who have epilepsy also have a cognitive disability. Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host. His show is called “The Michael Savage Show”, and I think it may have also been called “The Savage Nation”. I’m not entirely sure because I rarely listen to the radio anymore. However, I know that Michael Savage is someone who has gained quite a bit … Continue reading →

Two Kids With Epilepsy

So my middle son has been admitted to the hospital for what we thought was possibly a stroke, his face is droopy and looks like a stroke patient. Turns out he had Bells Palsy and they think this could be caused by a seizure. So with one child with epilepsy already the idea of having a second child with epilepsy is a bit over whelming. I will admit when he was asleep in his bed I did lay there in the dark and cried just a bit. In the morning they ran an MRI and an EEG on him to … Continue reading →

Epilepsy and Learning

Did you know that approximately 50% of persons with epilepsy also have ADD, ADHD or another learning disorder? Neurologists have determined that when a person with epilepsy they have electrical discharges which cause the seizure activity disrupts the connections between nerve cells. This disruption causes abnormal brain activity. Even when a person’s seizures are well controlled the disorder can cause learning and developmental issues. The severities of the impairments vary depending on how much of the brain is affected by the abnormal brain activity. Abnormal brain activity can cause cognitive impairments, executive function impairments and motor skill impairments. When a … Continue reading →

Interview with Danyelle Ferguson – Resources for Learning about Autism

Today, we’re continuing our conversation with Danyelle Ferguson, author of (dis)Abilities and the Gospel, a great resource book for parents and teachers of children with cognitive disabilities. As we learned last time, Danyelle’s son was diagnosed with autism when he was two. Danyelle, as you were learning about autism, what were some of the resources that were the most helpful to you – books, support groups, studies, etc? During the first four to six months after our son was diagnosed, I couldn’t handle reading anything about autism. I was so overwhelmed, wondering what kind of future my son would have. … Continue reading →

Treating Epilepsy in Cats

The treatment for epilepsy in cats depends on whether your cat has idiopathic or acquired epilepsy. If your cat has acquired epilepsy, your veterinarian will focus treatment on the underlying condition that is causing the seizures. Once the condition is cured, the seizures may disappear entirely! Things like tumors, trauma, and even high blood pressure can cause acquired (secondary) epilepsy, but all these conditions are generally treatable. If your cat has idiopathic epilepsy — a seizure disorder with no identifiable cause — your veterinarian will focus on controlling the seizures. Often, vets choose Phenobarbital as the medication of choice. This … Continue reading →

Epilepsy in Cats

Epilepsy is relatively rare in cats, but it does happen. We have a regular guest at the cats-only boarding facility with epilepsy; a friend has a cat who has seizures. In general, there are two types of seizure disorders in cats: Secondary/acquired epilepsy — the seizures are a symptom of another condition, like high blood pressure, a tumor, or trauma. This type of epilepsy can appear at any age. Idiopathic epilepsy — there is no underlying cause for the seizures. This often develops between the ages of one and three years. Epilepsy in felines doesn’t always look like epilepsy in … Continue reading →

Special Moms of Special Kids

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Mother’s Day is a good time to do a shout-out to all the moms of children who have special needs. Parenting can be difficult, and it can also be rewarding. It has been said that parents of kids who have special needs have a more extreme version of parenting. Happy Mother’s Day to all of you! Let’s face it: moms do a lot! This is not to say that dads don’t contribute, because they do. Often, though it is the mothers who take on the biggest part of parenting. A study found that parents of children who have autism face … Continue reading →

Special Needs Podcast Roundup – Week of March 26, 2012

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Each and every week, the Special Needs Podcast Roundup brings you episodes of podcasts that talk about topics that are relevant to parents of kids who have special needs. They could be about anything from autism, ADHD, and allergies, to special education laws, and insurance coverage for the treatment your child needs. The Coffee Klatch has an episode that was released on March 25, 2012. This episode is called “Down Syndrome From a Father’s Perspective”. It features Rick Smith, whose son, Noah, has Down Syndrome. Rick’s blog is called “Noah’s Dad”. He shares his personal experiences on his blog, and … Continue reading →

Medical Information Needed

When you have adopted children there are certain things you do not know such as the biological medical history. This is especially true when you adopt a child from child protective services like we did. We have been asking the biological mother for birth family history since we first met her during the medication of Rebecca. As I have mentioned in the past the biological mother voided the mediation agreement when she disappeared and our letters kept getting returned. I tracked the biological mother down a few times already and asked her for the information but she has repeatedly failed … Continue reading →