The co-occurrence of epilepsy in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and other developmental disabilities (DD) has received attention because it has a significant negative impact on health, well-being, and quality of life. The current research investigating the frequency and form of epilepsy in children with ID and DD is reviewed, with…

Background: Epilepsy has a pervasive impact on the lives of people with intellectual disability and their carers. The delivery of high-quality care is impacted on by the complexity and diversity of epilepsy in this population. This article presents the results of a consensus clinical guideline process. Results: A Delphi process identified a list…

Probably one of the most challenging dilemmas facing people with epilepsy and parents of children with epilepsy are the questions of "if," "who," "when," and "how" to tell others about the epilepsy. There is fear of stigma and rejection. Yet there remains the need to reveal seizures before they reveal themselves without one's control. Telling…

Children with developmental disabilities are at increased risk for epilepsy with a prevalence rate higher than the general population. Some of the more common developmental disorders in childhood and the features of epilepsy in these conditions are discussed. Specifically, autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and attention deficit and…

Those who compiled and updated the information in this guide invite readers to take a second look at its title. In previous editions, it was assumed that it's called "Those of Us Disabled" but this time it is not because it is meant to make the reader think about how the label of disability is used and misused. The last word of the title…

Comparison of developmentally disabled adolescents presenting conduct disorder (N=56) with those exhibiting other types of psychopathology (N=57) found significant differences in the conduct disordered group including: more severe retardation, fewer pubertal changes, fewer persons with epilepsy, more normal electroencephalographs, and more…

This response supports previous findings by describing the experiences of the Wentham Developmental Center. This center found switching from Depakene to generic valproic acid was not associated with any change in the number of epileptic seizures. The occurrence of adverse gastrointestinal effects of valproic acid is addressed. (CR)

Neuronal and nonneuronal plasticity are both affected by environmental and experiential factors. Remodeling of existing neurons induced by such factors has been observed throughout the brain, and includes alterations in dendritic field dimensions, synaptogenesis, and synaptic morphology. The brain loci affected by these plastic neuronal changes…

Two primary care practices were used to recruit adults with and without disability. Disability groups included autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. The patients without disability had an epilepsy prevalence rate of 1%. The prevalence of epilepsy within the disability groups was 13% for cerebral palsy, 13.6% for Down…

Presentations from speakers at a conference on Rett Syndrome are summarized. The presentations focused on Rett Syndrome's genetic basis and identification as a clinical syndrome, involving, among other things, mental subnormality, epilepsy, infantile spasms, hand stereotypes, and poor hand use. Also discussed were: Rett Syndrome's predictive…

The booklet is designed to provide awareness training for the general public on the relationship between persons with disabilities and other members of society. The booklet is divided into six sections concerning persons who are mentally ill, hearing impaired, mentally retarded, mobility impaired, visually impaired, or have epilepsy. Background…

This document contains the proceedings from the National Conference on Developmental Disabilities and Gerontology, a conference designed to develop guidelines for program development on national, state, and local levels; develop and disseminate a proceedings publication; and provide an interface between professionals working at national, state,…

The Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) and electrical status epilepticus in slow wave sleep (ESES) are rare childhood-onset epileptic encephalopathies in which loss of language skills occurs in the context of an epileptiform EEG activated in sleep. Although in LKS the loss of function is limited to language, in ESES there is a wider spectrum of…

This report contains statistics of schools and classes for feeble-minded and for subnormal children. These children are instructed in three types of schools. State schools and private schools accept mental defectives who are not insane nor charged with criminal acts. The city day schools accept children who are subnormal, backward, and mentally…

There are four groups of handicapped children for whom residential schools are generally considered indispensable. These are the blind, the deaf, the mentally deficient, and the socially maladjusted or juvenile delinquents. While each of these groups presents conditions and problems quite distinct from those of the other three, they are all marked…