School Involvement in the Treatment of Seizure Disorders

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Abstract
School personnel can play an important role in the treatment of seizure disorders. To better understand their involvement in the treatment process, 2 state-wide studies of special education programs were conducted. Teachers completed questionnaires for 315 pupils in their classrooms who were receiving drug therapy for a seizure disorder, and the mothers of 130 of these children were interviewed by telephone. The 2 investigations yielded similar results. Teachers were often not informed about the overt features of the seizures, side effects of the medication or seizure management, even in the case of students who experienced seizures and/or side effects in school. In 70% of the cases, teachers were involved in either evaluating the response to treatment, administering medication, or managing (coping with) seizures in the classroom. They usually interacted with parents or other school personnel; direct communication with the physician was virtually nonexistent. Over 1/3 of the students were rated as more drowsy or sleepy than their peers, and, according to teachers, drug-induced impairments in adaptive behavior were a common problem. In many cases, no one has assumed responsibility for coordinating the delivery of services for psychosocial treatment needs.