Robert.Bowes5th@p0.f4.n382.z1.fidonet.org (Robert Bowes5th) (12/14/90)
Index Number: 12494
Epilepsy: You and your child. Information for parents.
Introduction
It is always a shock for a family to learn that a child has epilepsy. But out
of that initial shock and dismay can be built an understanding, loving, and
accepting environment in which the child can grow in self-confidence, secure
that he/she is loved, believing in his own ability to succeed.
A psychologist who for many years has counseled families in which there is
a child with epilepsy believes that the way the child learns to think about
himself/herself and his/her epilepsy at home has a great deal to do with the
kind of person he/she becomes in later life. If a child learns to be anxious
and fearful about epilepsy, if he/she is sheltered from the outside world by
well-meaning parents, if he/she learns to regard his/her epilepsy as the
dominant feature of his/her life, he/she will become dependent and immature,
both in childhood and in adult life.
But if the child is encouraged to treat his/her seizures as a temporary
inconvenience, and to join with other children of his/her age in everyday
activities, if he/she is able to share in community and family life to the
utmost, he/she has a much better chance of growing up to be a secure and
independent person. That early confidence will also give him/her a less
sensitive reaction to the ignorance of others and will enable him/her to
to make the most of his/her own potential.
If you are the parent of a child with epilepsy, remember that your child
has not changed in himself/herself since the diagnosis was made. Your
son is still the same child who likes to play ball. Your daughter is the
same little girl who wanted to join the Brownie troop last week--and still
wants to.
This handbook is designed to help you as a parent, and to answer some of
the basic questions you may have about epilepsy and your child. It deals
primarily with day to day living and is based on what psychologists have
discovered in their studies of epilepsy and family life. It also reflects
the experiences of other parents of children with epilepsy, parents who
have felt the kind of pressures you may be feeling now. A list of sources
for more information on epilepsy is included at the back of the book. The
Epilepsy Foundation of America provides information and referral services
through its local affiliates or its headquarters office in Landover,MD.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!382!4.0!Robert.Bowes5th
Internet: Robert.Bowes5th@p0.f4.n382.z1.fidonet.orgRobert.Bowes5th@p0.f4.n382.z1.fidonet.org (Robert Bowes5th) (01/08/91)
Index Number: 12685
Epilepsy: You and your child. Information for parents.
Introduction
It is always a shock for a family to learn that a child has epilepsy. But out
of that initial shock and dismay can be built an understanding, loving, and
accepting environment in which the child can grow in self-confidence, secure
that he/she is loved, believing in his own ability to succeed.
A psychologist who for many years has counseled families in which there is
a child with epilepsy believes that the way the child learns to think about
himself/herself and his/her epilepsy at home has a great deal to do with the
kind of person he/she becomes in later life. If a child learns to be anxious
and fearful about epilepsy, if he/she is sheltered from the outside world by
well-meaning parents, if he/she learns to regard his/her epilepsy as the
dominant feature of his/her life, he/she will become dependent and immature,
both in childhood and in adult life.
But if the child is encouraged to treat his/her seizures as a temporary
inconvenience, and to join with other children of his/her age in everyday
activities, if he/she is able to share in community and family life to the
utmost, he/she has a much better chance of growing up to be a secure and
independent person. That early confidence will also give him/her a less
sensitive reaction to the ignorance of others and will enable him/her to
to make the most of his/her own potential.
If you are the parent of a child with epilepsy, remember that your child
has not changed in himself/herself since the diagnosis was made. Your
son is still the same child who likes to play ball. Your daughter is the
same little girl who wanted to join the Brownie troop last week--and still
wants to.
This handbook is designed to help you as a parent, and to answer some of
the basic questions you may have about epilepsy and your child. It deals
primarily with day to day living and is based on what psychologists have
discovered in their studies of epilepsy and family life. It also reflects
the experiences of other parents of children with epilepsy, parents who
have felt the kind of pressures you may be feeling now. A list of sources
for more information on epilepsy is included at the back of the book. The
Epilepsy Foundation of America provides information and referral services
through its local affiliates or its headquarters office in Landover,MD.
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!382!4.0!Robert.Bowes5th
Internet: Robert.Bowes5th@p0.f4.n382.z1.fidonet.org