HELPING YOUR CHILD COPE WITH EPILEPSY

Your child will go through the same emotional stages you have faced. The manifestations of these stages will vary with the child’s age and maturity and with the kinds of seizures.Fear is real for many of these children. Children may fear dying even though they have no concept of death. This fear of dying should be dealt with forthrightly. All people fear losing control and the fact that one of these seizures could happen at any time. Educating your child about what actually happens during his seizures, what they look like to others, and that he always returns to his previous normal state may help him to adjust to this fear. For the older child, the fear of embarrassment may be even worse than the fear of death. “What will my friends think of me? Suppose I wet myself? Suppose this happens at a dance or in school?” Acceptance by one’s peers is critical in adolescence. The worst thing that can happen is that somebody will notice that he is different.Helping your child to understand epilepsy and accept it to the point where he can explain it to his friends and classmates is the most important element in overcoming these fears.177\208\8*