Students+with+Seizure+Disorder

Teresa Leza I often find that I get the most joy in my job when I make break-throughs with my special needs student. This year, I have had the pleasure of working with a student with Seizure Disorder. She is a student in my Pre Algebra class and she spends hours with me after school while I watch the library and tutor her. We have developed a good mentor/student relationship and she calls me her “favorite teacher” even though there can be days when has a mood swing and wants absolutely nothing to do with me.
 * Students with Seizure Disorder **

While I was browsing and looking for a topic for this assignment, she asked me what I was doing. I told her that I was looking for a student disability to write about. After explaining what disability was, she exclaimed, “I have a special need! You should write about me!” So here we go…

Upon meeting this student, I had been told by administration that she was a special needs student with a learning disability. That was all that I knew. After getting to know her and spending time with her, I was able to find her strengths and shortcomings and find appropriate accommodations to help her succeed. Her most noticeable symptom is her inability to focus. One might interpret this as ADHD. In reading the article, “Seizure Disorders: an Alternative Explanation for Students’ Inattention” (Agnew, 1998), I have found that Seizure Disorder has many times been misdiagnosed as ADHD. The symptoms are quite similar. Students with absence seizures and ADHD of the inattentive type share the following difficulties:

-Listening and responding when spoken to -Sustaining attention in tasks or play -Forgetfulness in daily activities -Following through on instruction -Organizing tasks -Losing things necessary for tasks

My student has shown each of these characteristics in her daily classroom behaviors. I find that she will have petit mal, or absence, seizures quite often throughout the day. It is common for individuals with these types of seizures to have several hundred per day. They are often short moments where the student loses consciousness for brief moments that are recognized by anyone else as a blank stare. These moments where consciousness is lost makes learning very difficult for these students. They are often in and out of the lectures/activities. It is difficult to follow along in a step-by-step procedure because they might miss every other step. So here are the accommodations that I have made:

-Proximity: I make sure that she is seated near me where I can frequently engage her. -Repetition: I constantly repeat directions and instructions -Questioning: I check to see that she was conscious for what was taught, if not, I repeat -Extra time: It takes her much longer to complete a math problem because she is unable to focus and she forgets what she was doing -Reminding: Since she forgets what she was doing along the way, I remind her by saying, “you just completed this step where you… Now what will you do next? -Limit the homework set: I give her a limited number of problems for the homework and tests because it is unreasonable for her to finish the problem set given to the rest of the class in a timely manner. She takes twenty minutes to complete a problem that would take another student one to two minutes. -Explain directions: When quizzes/tests are given, I explain what each question is asking for.

By adopting these accommodations, and remaining in close contact with her family and counselors, she is succeeding in a non-special education environment. It brings me great happiness to see her doing well. When she gets a good grade on an assignment, she will do a dance to celebrate. She definitely has a passion for learning and I am eager to see her blossom over the next 3 years of high school.

Reference:

Agnew, C.M., Nystul, M.S., & Conner, M.C. (October 1998). Seizure Disorders: An Alternative Explanation for Students’ Inattention. //Professional School Counseling, 2(1)//, 64. Retrieved from []

Link:

[|Seizure Disorders: An Alternative Explanation fo Students' Inattention]