This was posted at a discussion board. How would you answer the question?
---
Student had a seizure, I think
I am currently a student teacher, and I swear one of my students had either an
absence or a simple partial seizure recently. While working with him one on one,
I caught him staring intently into space for about 15 to 20 seconds, and this
was followed by him shaking his head as if to clear it for a minute or two,
acting very confused, and embarrassedly muttering about "sometimes forgetting
things" because he couldn't recall anything we had been talking about.
I grew up with frequent seizures (simple and mostly complex partial seizures)
from ages 7-23. I had surgery at age 23 and thankfully have been seizure-free
since. But I immediately recognized the aura, seizure, and post-ictal recovery
because that was me for years.
Now, I'm not a neurologist, so I am exercising some caution and acceptance about
reporting what I observed. I could easily be wrong! Even so, when I mentioned it
to my mentor teacher, she claimed that he just goes into dazes and that it's
more a behavior problem than anything. He's always done that, and he has no
history of epilepsy. Just ignore it; it's ADHD. The sense that I got from her
was that she thinks he's just daydreaming and trying to get out of doing his
work, so don't humor him.
I feel so unsettled about her response though. I mean, I know what I saw, and it
wasn't daydreaming. I teach in a school specifically for students with
emotional/behavioral disabilities including some students with Aspergers, ADHD,
bipolar disorder, learning disabilities, etc. So this kid is already enrolled in
special education services. I want to mention the boy's "episode" to my
principal, but I don't know if I should let it drop since my mentor teacher told
me to just ignore it. At the same time, I'd hate the idea that he has
undiagnosed and unmedicated epilepsy though, and I never said anything. Any
advice?
(- e...)
Youth Issues
Tags: Teacher, student, education
02-09-2011
11 Feb 2011, 11:34 am
