Page 40

Epilepsy

Epilepsy and education

Epilepsy affects around 60,000 children in the UK, yet the condition and its impact on learning remain widely misunderstood. A new campaign by the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy aims to address this by training teachers as epilepsy champions.

Did you know…

• There are around 60,000 young people under the age of 18 with epilepsy in the UK. That’s an average of one in every primary school and five in every secondary school.

• Up to half of these children and young people may be failing to achieve their academic potential in school.

• In a 2005 survey, 74 per cent of teachers said they would benefit from more knowledge about epilepsy.

• Epilepsy in childhood is as common as insulin-dependent diabetes.

• Misdiagnosis is common, so children with epilepsy can remain undiagnosed while children without the condition can be diagnosed and taking powerful medication.

• Over half of the deaths of children and young people with epilepsy are avoidable.

About epilepsy

Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain which causes seizures. A seizure results from a sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain that causes messages to become temporarily halted or mixed up. The type of seizure a person has and how it appears will depend on the area of the brain affected. Epilepsy affects one in every 242 children in the UK.

There are a number of things to consider when planning for a child with epilepsy in your class. You will want to ensure that the pupil is safe and that everyone knows what to do should a seizure occur.

However, both epilepsy and its medication can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to learn. In this respect epilepsy differs from other medical conditions such as asthma and diabetes. For example:

• Seizures that happen at home can ‘wipe’ a child’s memory of that day’s lessons and leave them drowsy and unable to concentrate in class the following day.

• Anti-epileptic drugs can cause drowsiness, confusion and difficulty with concentration.

• Pupils may miss some or all of an educational activity due to a seizure.

• For some students, medication taken at home will mean they have problems with concentration at certain times of day.

• Absence seizures – one of the most common types in children – can occur many times in one lesson and are easily mistaken for a lack of attention. Staff may not be aware a seizure has happened, yet the child has missed significant parts of a lesson.

• Behaviours that a child cannot help can be misinterpreted as wilful.

The inclusion agenda

The 1978 Warnock Report marked the beginning of the inclusion agenda that changed forever the way in which authorities deal with the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities. The report had an enormous impact on UK schools, so that today young people with a variety of significant medical needs are routinely found in mainstream education.

The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) has welcomed the improved integration this has brought for young people with epilepsy, but recognises the significant additional responsibility it has placed on schools and teachers. Many teachers and support staff have found themselves struggling to cope with the day-to-day and emergency management of a range of complex health conditions with insufficient access to adequate training and support.

The NCYPE

The NCYPE is the UK’s leading provider of specialist education and health services to children and young people most severely affected by epilepsy. Based in Lingfield, Surrey, we also support children and young people with epilepsy all over the UK, however mild or severe their condition.

Continued on page 41

Schools and teachers can go the extra MILE for students with epilepsy by…

Monitoring achievement and behaviour

• keep careful and appropriate records

• tackle any problems early

• changes in behaviour or levels/rates of progress can be due to epilepsy or medication.

Including the child in activities and providing a ‘buddy’

• offer support in school with a mentoring or ‘buddying’ system

• avoid isolation and stigma – include students in all outings and activities

 • make necessary adjustments, eg to exam timings, coursework deadlines, timetables.

Liaising fully with parents and health professionals

• let parents know what is going on in school – good information-sharing is vital 

• ask for information about students’ health care.

Ensuring staff are epilepsy aware and trained to deal with a seizure

• know what to do if a student has a seizure

• raise awareness across the whole school community.