Persons with rare, epilepsy-related disorders often have intellectual disability and need long-term care. Informal and formal caregivers need information in order to care for the persons in a safe way. Aims: The aims of this review were: (1) to obtain an overview of caregiver-reported information needs; and (2) to investigate if there are…

This study examined the impact of positive psychological traits (positive coping, self-efficacy, and self-esteem) on the relationship between seizure severity and life satisfaction among individuals with epilepsy. Hierarchical regression analysis and correlation techniques were used to test a hypothesized tri-mediation model of life satisfaction…

Childhood epilepsy is the most common paediatric neurological disorder. It is a condition with a well-documented association with cognitive, behavioural and emotional difficulties. Children with epilepsy are at increased risk of global and specific cognitive impairments. They are also at increased risk for symptoms associated with attention…

Dravet syndrome, or as it was called in the past "severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy", is a drug-resistant epilepsy first described by Charlotte Dravet in 1978. Besides the well-known and well-described therapy resistance, Dravet syndrome dramatically impacts the development and behaviour of the affected children. As it is still not a curable…

This is a six part article intended to give parents the information and strategies they need to cope with their child with epilepsy who may have school learning problems. Epilepsy and seizures affect the classroom in unique ways that can make the learning experience especially challenging for some kids. Fortunately, much can be done to give the…

This is the fourth in a series of four articles about how to tell others about a child's epilepsy. If a child has epilepsy, parents will be confronted with the need to tell the parents of their child's friends about their child's epilepsy. This can be exceedingly difficult for a parent the first few times. Parents can make their world safer for…

Epilepsy is one of the most frequently diagnosed neurological disorders among children. Epilepsy is continuously linked with academic underachievement and social challenges. Despite the implications that these difficulties have for a child's educational success, little is known of how children with epilepsy experience school. Understanding how to…

This article presents an interview on Kevin Eggers, a 19-year-old college student from Seattle, Washington, who was diagnosed with epilepsy but had not let it prevent him from accomplishing his goals. As an Epilepsy Advocate, Kevin helps other teens and young adults realize that having a disability does not mean not living a normal and fulfilling…

When a teenager or child of any age develops seizures, the impact on the family can be enormous. Worries and fears may affect everyone, and left untreated, crises can occur too easily. This article explores the way that epilepsy can affect family dynamics. Common factors that may contribute to family stress and patterns of coping will be…

Epilepsy has one of the worst social outcomes for child development of the common disabilities. For most children, epilepsy is not nearly the physical challenge that many other chronic health disorders are. The problem in raising a child with epilepsy is much more emotional and social. In this first part of a three-part article series, the author…

Epilepsy is the most misunderstood of all neurological disorders known to man. Even though modern medicine (a very recent development in human history) learned that epilepsy was a common variation in biology, the roots laid down by centuries of misunderstanding have yet to be pulled from the society's social consciousness. While medicine and now…

Written for children with seizures and their caregivers, the article answers questions concerning the cause, types, and treatment of seizures. (CL)

This study describes cultural similarities and differences in coping skills of persons with epilepsy, based on a survey of 27 individuals in Zimbabwe and 10 in midwestern United States. Coping strategies for the Zimbabwe group in childhood, education, and employment were tolerant of limits imposed on the person, whereas Americans' strategies…

Tested the hypothesis that psychological adjustment to epilepsy would be a joint function of subjects' (N=50) perceived repertoire of self-control skills and the extent to which they were exposed to uncontrollable seizures. Results showed that high-resourceful epileptics exposed to lower frequencies of seizures coped better with their disability.…

This study aimed to describe demographic, seizure, and family characteristics associated with good and poor adaptation to childhood epilepsy and contrast them with demographic, asthma, and family characteristics associated with good and poor adaptation to childhood asthma. Children with asthma were selected as a comparison sample because epilepsy…