Autism & Epilepsy

In celebration of AUTISM awareness month: Studies have shown that as many as half of all kids with AUTISM have some sort of seizure disorder. It puzzles all sides of the medical field. Some w/ ASD have intractable epilepsy while others have only 2 seizures in their lifetime.---Dr. Sarah Spencer & epilepsyUSA

So let's chat about the two things in our house that cause chaos...no, they just stink...wait I have a better word for the two of them because together autism & epilepsy just suck...sorry, but I had to say it...if Hayden O-N-L-Y had one disability life would be oh so much easier...but he got handed one of the loaded decks of cards & unfortunately has BOTH!!

We have been working with Hayden's neurologist since he was 2yrs old...that's 4 years people to get his seizures under control/make him seizure free.  Hayden currently takes more seizure medications than most people do & should have some of horrible side effects from them...but he doesn't--thank the Lord!  Hayden has been on many different seizure medications (I've forgotten the number of combination of medications that Hayden has tried now), tried the ketogenic diet & is not a candidate for brain surgery.  However, a year ago Hayden was in the throws of the keto diet & not doing so well (spiking up to 200+ seizures in under a month) while today with a different combo of medications he is around 20 seizures a month...so that is progress.

Non-verbal Autism combined with epilepsy, is difficult because we have no idea when or if Hayden is going to have a seizure, how he feels in the post-itcal (after a seizure) phase, nor if all the medications he takes have any of the weird side effects that we can't see (feel funny in the head/upset stomach/etc).

Autism affects all parts of our daily life from sleeping, eating, school & work routines.  When you add another disability on top, it does make life a bit more complicated.  We take each day as it comes.  We are blessed by the grace & love of the Lord...it is the only way we make it through, one day at time sweet Jesus.

One of my more favorite pictures lately...occasionally, we capture both eye contact & a SMILE.

I am just Hayden's mom (lol--doesn't that sound funny??) who has learned a lot about our son's medical conditions &  whose son has a medical file thicker than someone five times older than he, but autism & epilepsy are part of his puzzling medical needs... & as Hayden's mom I know when he sick, when he needs to be seen, when something isn't right.  However, I will say that thankfully, with my chosen profession I already knew some about seizures, & now I have learned a heck of a lot more but I am NOT a professional in the field, LOL....I leave the professional part of caring for Hayden to his doctors whom I have grown to trust & respect the heck out of!!

Autism & Epilepsy...I don't like these parts of the puzzle.