How petit mal epilepsy can affect child’s school performance

What is petit mal epilepsy?

Petit mal epilepsy or absence seizures are characterized by sudden loss of consciousness without losing muscle tone, absence of tonic - clonic movements or absence of any after effects of seizures. Child usually does not remember the episode. However it can be associated with abnormal blinking of eyelids, abnormal facial movements, lip smacking and chewing.

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How petit mal seizures can affect school performance?

Frequent episodes of petit mal seizures can cause interruptions of the stream of thought, which can cause difficulty in grasping new concepts and problems in learning. In addition, episodes of petit mal epilepsy may be interpreted by teachers as misbehavior or having lack of class room discipline. This can create a difficult environment for the child to learn, which will ultimate leads to poor school performance.

Conclusion

This problem can be a cause for child’s poor performance in the school. It can be treated with various drugs. So it is important to identify petit mal seizure early and offer early treatment before it can ruin child’s life.