ABSTRACT
Children with epilepsy have more than a paroxysmal disorder that manifests as seizures requiring long-term antiepileptic therapy. They also have more behavioral problems and academic difficulties than other children and, upon reaching adulthood, may have less social and vocational success.1,2 Aicardi3 suggests that we consider epilepsy to be a pervasive, nonparoxysmal disorder that, even between episodes of seizures, adversely affects the central nervous system. Using Taylor’s terminology, epilepsy is both an illness and a predicament for the child.4 As an illness, epilepsy consists of seizures and the child’s experience with seizures, laboratory studies, and medication. Epilepsy as an illness contributes to the child’s definition of their role in society. As a predicament, epilepsy is a complex set of psychosocial problems that are unique to the individual child.
