My son has been diagnosed with primary generalized epilepsy Would he qualify for SSI?

My son has been on phenobarbatrol for about a year, he was then on Depakote for a year, Lamotragin, & now keppra, he is 6 now. We are having problems with the meds and his behavior in school & home. I know most of his behavior problems are from the drugs, but the school sends home notes everyday about his behavior. one day he will get under his desk & goto sleep other days he is letarally bouncing off the walls, he has trouble focusing, coordination, gets addgitated easy. recent blood work shows his white blood cells count is way down and his liver functions are really high. What does this mean for my son? I have also been told we would qualify for SSI, how do I do that? How often do kids with epilepsy get treated by the schools as a disabled child? my sons school has pulled him out of his regular classes, safty pined notes on his shirt, and since day one of them finding out my son is epileptic, they have treated him differently. Should I have my so tested for ADHD, ADD or Dyslexia?

I don't know how often he's having a seizure but he should see both a pediatric neurologist and a psychiatrist. It doesn't hurt to get a second opinion if you are in doubt. If the doctor suggests too many medication, that's a problem but two isn't too bad.

It's a common problem with seizure medication. The side-effect can be quite horrible, especially to a child. If he is drowsy because of the medication, that's very normal and natural. It is very difficult to focus with those medication. Mood swings after seizures are not uncommon, either. Often, epilepsy patients experience depression.

A seizure is a very traumatic experience on a human body. A brain may go through a "shift" of sorts or major change. One neurologist described it as a "short-circuit" of electric signals. Once there is a "shortage," that path is no longer usable. However, the human body is designed so that the brain finds another path. The younger you are the quicker it is able to find a new path. So the tissue damage seems quite minimal with children and they seem functionally perfectly normal.

Depending on the seizure it affects the brain differently due to the body chemistry at the time. The result is the mood, or the other aspects of the brain like memory. Personally, I've seen it happen where some parts of memory increase and whereas some parts of memory ability decrease at least (long term vs. short term). It's an odd thing.

There is a lot of traditional stigma and there may be teachers who may not want to put in the effort. I don't think "labeling" him is a good thing for your child's psyche and I would discuss that with the doctors.

It seems perhaps some of the medication is too potent, too. Perhaps the doctors are over-medicating him so that he'd be seizure free? I would fight for his quality of life since he can't do that for himself right now. He needs to have a seizure free life, yes but at what cost?

So talk to your neurologist and ask to refer you to a child psychiatrist. It's a brain chemistry issue. Psychologists deal with "issues" and cannot prescribe medications but psychiatrists can and they won't ask you in detail about "issues."

It's not a shame for be epileptic but it's also your business. It's up to you to tell someone if you have it. Putting a label with a safety pin is not cool.

I'm sure your physicians will write a nice letter for the school telling them it's not politically correct. I'm surprised the district hasn't been sued.

i would home school him and yes he would be able to get disability checks may take awhile but i would fight for him to get it