@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member , I had seizures since the 2nd grade & have had a learning disability maybe since then or sometime in elementary school. I especially have a learning disability in math & was in special ed math in elementary & high school. In junior & high school I went to a special room called Content Mastery where special ed students went to take their tests with unlimited time to take them & they could get help on their homework. In college I struggled with basic math, having to drop it 3 times so I wouldn’t fail it & then finally they told me that if I could prove I had a learning disability then I possibly could get a math waver & so my Pediatric Neurologist wrote a letter noting that he knew I had always struggled with math. So I finally got that math waver. I don’t read as fast as some when it comes to books. So get him hooked up with the special education help & he could maybe have that special room to go to for help on homework & unlimited time on tests. I hope this helps some. Sending Thoughts, Hugs & Prayers. Your friend in Texas, Becky

Mentioned Users

A MyEpile...

Tawny,
Your words are so helpful to me! I am a teacher (actually now a school counselor) as well. The neurodiag at his doctor's office wants to blame everything on attention. I think attention could very well be an issue, but it never had been before his diagnosis. Memory is a problem as well. We've had the same PO box all of his life and he always has to ask me the number before picking up our mail. I feel that retention just isn't there. My mom's intuition tells me that the meds play a big role in all this, but his doctor doesn't agree. Thankfully, he has been seizure free for 2 years, 2 months. His doctor told us that, if he continues to be seizure free and has a clear EEG in the spring, he will wean him from meds and see where we are. We are willing to give that a try. I appreciate you taking the time to respond! I want to hear from people that know how he feels, as I don't. You've been a huge help!

I am a former teacher and i have epilepsy that has taken that career from me. I can say with certainty that it is possible for the meds to be reducing his ability to focus. There may ne underlying issues as well, and he should have accomadations regardless, but so far every medication i have been on for epilepsy has made me a little less focused than before. And they can also cause a lot of struggles with memory. I can barely remember my address some days, so i cant imagine how tough that would be for a growing mind trying to retain new information. Perhaps approaching it from both an attention and memory angle might help.

Thanks so much Becky. That helps a lot! Glad you figured out what helped you to be successful~

Thank you so much AJT. We've done testing and he does have dyslexia and we do have accommodations in place. We've not tried occupational therapy. It's tough when you have both epilepsy and a learning disability. Glad you are going to college and doing well even though it's a struggle!