Overview

The brain is a complex organ that controls everything we do and feel. When there is a disturbance to the functioning (working) of the brain, such as in epilepsy, it can interfere with the brain and the persons performance.

Children with epilepsy have the same range of interests and intelligence as other children. Most will go to a mainstream school. However, for almost half of these children in mainstream school settings there will be subtle difficulties with their learning which can have an impact on their participation at school and at home.

Sometimes the child’s difficulties with ‘straight thinking’ are so subtle they are missed or not understood. Sometimes the child is incorrectly thought to be a difficult student, ‘naughty’ or ‘a daydreamer’ as a result of these subtle challenges.

This resource is designed to help parents with a child in a mainstream school to identify if their child is experiencing challenges with learning due to epilepsy. It aims to give parents ideas about how to support their child to achieve their potential.

• How epilepsy can affect learning
• Epilepsy management
• Fostering independence
• Learning and participation at school
• Telling others about your child’s epilepsy
• Healthy family relationships
• FAQs