Jenny McCarthy and Her Son, Evan (Courtesy: Teach2Talk)
It is estimated that between 25%-30% of those diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder will suffer at least one seizure before the onset of puberty.
Varying in degree and intensity, these incidents can be incredibly traumatic for
parents to witness, particularly if it’s a first-time episode.
Unfortunately, on Sunday night, Jenny McCarthy’s son suffered one, as reported through
her Twitter account:
It’s unknown how severe the seizure was, but McCarthy’s son, Evan, was diagnosed with autism in 2005 and has a history of them, even requiring medication to control them at one time. It’s unclear if he is currently taking any anti-seizure meds.
For many parents of children with autism, seizures often manifest during a sickness such as the flu, common cold or stomach virus, but they can also strike at any time and without warning.
When our son had his first seizure, it was a very traumatic experience as I witnessed him violently convulsing for over two minutes, all while he turned blue in the face. With a lack of awareness about what was happening, I felt completely helpless about what to do at the time.
If your child or loved one is unfortunate enough to suffer from a seizure, here are some important things to keep in mind:
• Remove any nearby objects that will cause bodily injury
• Protect the person’s head with a pillow, cushion, towel, or any other soft object
• Carefully and gently place the person on his or her side
• Do not attempt to move the victim to another location
• Do not put anything is the person’s mouth, including any water or fluids while the seizure is still occurring
• Most importantly, stay calm. Witnessing a seizure can be extremely frightening and traumatic, especially when it happens to a loved one
Our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. McCarthy and her family, and we wish Evan a full and speedy recovery.
Thanks for your comment. It helped me understand the relationship between seizures and Autism. My 3 year old son has recently been suspected to have Autism. I have not had a diagnosis yet but I am trying to read aqnd understand about Autism. Last Friday while he developed a fever (the MD says its a viro infection) he developed a seizure. I panicked and did not know what to do. I called in an ambulance and took him to hospitla and he is recovered. However I was traumatised and I can hardly sleep. I now understand that probably it is related to his condition. I am working on getting him a diagnosis but it is not that easy here because i leave in Africa and it is not easy to find specialist doctors.
I wil apreciate any info you may have on autism.
Jacqueline: you tube has severeal videos of an autistic young adult with seizure disorder. Go to you tube type in autism and seizures or severe autism and it may link you to videos. good luck!
I have a 3 year old son who has autism and possible seizures. He was at school one day and he fell down then he fell asleep at the lunch table they were making lots of noise and tried to wake him up and couldnt he had to come home because he had low grade fever do u think he had a seizure or what please help
My son is three has high functioning autism and sensory processing disorder. he also had the most horrific vocal tics that might of been a waking seizure. I pulled all rugs and even though the blood test said he is not allergic to dog he was. he found a new home. his symptoms of tics left. now he has a few but not the ones that were horrific. allergens can do this in kids. not just foods that there allergic to. I also notice when kevin watches tv or plays computers he stims like crzy. so I cut that down not every day. soo much work. god bless you