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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]First of all, kids with ASDs have a huge propensity for seizure disorders.  I think its 25 to 30%.  (Attention, 15:34) before you jump down my throat, I know OP didn't mention an ASD, but she did mention SN and if she is a teacher of kids with SN she has surely had this issue flagged for her..  Many of us do have children with ASDs, so thats the reason we are more attuned to it and our kids' teachers may be more attuned to it.  I have two sibs with ASDs and they both have seizure disorders. I know others.  Thats why so many of us are familiar with it, because this is the SN section, not because of an "east coast thing."

Second, the OP was going to talk to the nurse, so this wasn't about a teacher taking it into her own hands.

I don't know what politics have to do with it.  I'm as left wing as they come and I'm absolutely certain that if the nurse at my DC's school suspected an absence seizure, I would want her to tell me.  Nothing nanny state about it.  It is incomprehensible to me why everyone is so OFFENDED by someone with medical training point out a possible issue.

So lets lay out why early intervention for absence seizures is critical.  First of all, they absolutely can be a sign of a tumor.  I am the PP whose friend's child was saved because the school nurse had the conversation that seems to offend so many of you.

Second, absence seizures can develop into grand mal seizures if untreated.  This is what happened to my brother.  Grand mal seizures can cause serious damage to the heart.  I know a family that had a child with an ASD who died during a seizure.

And i think if parents aren't told the reason why they should have it checked out, they may not.  Not everyone knows what an absence seizure is or that it would be what the nurse was concerned about.

Some of you have accused me of being hysterical and bringing on some kind of nanny state affliction.  What I don't understand is how the downside of having the nurse flag it (as in "we are seeing something that could be an absence seizure, we don't know, please check it out") outweighs the risk of not being explicit about the concern with the parent.  What is the downside?  Annoyance?  Your feelings might be hurt?  You feel intimidated by the school or it makes you anxious to have the nurse say such a thing?  you resent it? The child may turn out not to have anything at all (I say "yay" to that -- a happy ending.) Do any of those things come close to outweighing the risk to health and even life thats at stake here.[/quote]

I am 15:26.  Go read what I wrote.  My husband has a history of grand mal and absence seizures (as a child and they went away after several years) so I know all about them, thank you very much.  I also know that, while I appreciated my son's teacher bringing her observations to my attention, what I did not appreciate was the absolute hysterics that followed with suggestions of LD/SPED and other nonsense being thrown around willy-nilly.  Again, as it turns out, my son was fine.  He is three for Chrissakes and was having a hard time with the transition to preschool.  "Blanking out" for him was not seizures (as confirmed by three actual MD neurologists, thank you) but his way of protecting himself when he was feeling overwhelmed.  This is perfectly normal.  Previous daycare workers suggested ASD and our pediatrician LOL'd when we told her that, because he exhibits ZERO signs of ASD.  But of course, just having someone say that (someone who, while lovely and a great care provider, doesn't even hold a BA and is not a child neuropsych) causes undue anxiety in first time parents.

So for all of you who deal with these issues, and have your wonderful stories of problems caught, great.  Those of us advocating for teachers to know their place and to be very careful with how they speak to parents about these issues are not crazy awful parents who care more about our anxiety than we do about our children.  Even suggesting that is hateful and totally unnecessary.  All we are saying is that, especially for very young children, there may be multiple explanations and it is not a teacher's job to suggest a diagnosis, only to bring concerns and descriptions of specific behaviors to the attention of parents.  Then it is the parents' job to determine next steps and to explore school resources if they wish.  Trying to push OT and child psychs and all other manner of "help" when it is not determined that it is warranted or wanted is a step too far.

And the nanny state stuff came in because one of the uber-hysterical posters here suggested a law that would allow school nurses the power to enforce medical evaluations based on their unofficial diagnoses, which is just straight up crazy talk.[/quote]

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