1. Epilepsy& SickleCell
By
Jaci Ewing & Heather McKnight

2. Epilepsy

3. Definition of Epilepsy
• A disturbance of the electrical activity of the
brain that can abruptly interfere with
behavior, perception, movement,
consciousness, or other brain functions.

4. Rate of Occurrence
• Epilepsy occurs in 1 out of 200 men, women,
and children of every culture in the United
States.
• According to the Epilepsy Foundation, it is
estimated that 2.7 million people including
326,000 school-age children under 14 suffer
from this condition.

5. Causes
• Birth asphyxia
• Intrauterine infection
• Metabolic disorders
• Head injury
• Congenital brain malformation
• Cerebral Palsy
• Nervous system infections

6. Behavioral Characteristics
• Staring spells
• Bed wetting
• Memory gaps
• Wandering
• Tongue biting during sleep
• Violent muscle spasms during sleep
• If problems with memory or thinking, personality
disorders, or physical handicaps coexist, social
adjustment is more difficult.

7. Physical Characteristics
• Seizures-characterized by recurrent seizures or
a neurologic syndrome associated with
seizures. May occur with little or no
provocation. One or multiple seizures types
may occur and they may change with age.
Defined by seizure types, EEG patterns, and
clinical settings.

8. Educational Needs
• Most children who have epilepsy without
other diseases, do as well as peers in school.
• Learning and behavior problems most
commonly appear when there are other
neurologic signs.

9. Resources
• Blood Matters by Masha Gessen
• http://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/toolkit/resource
_guide.htm
• http://www.disabilityresources.org/EPILEPSY.h
tml
• http://epilepsy.emedtv.com/epilepsy/epilepsy.
html (article)

10. Organizations
• Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE)
730 North Franklin Street
Suite 404
Chicago, IL 60654
info@CUREepilepsy.org
http://www.CUREepilepsy.org
Tel: 312-255-1801
Fax: 312-255-1809
• Epilepsy Foundation
8301 Professional Place
Landover, MD 20785-7223
postmaster@efa.org
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org
Tel: 301-459-3700 800-EFA-1000 (332-1000)
Fax: 301-577-2684
• People Against Childhood Epilepsy (PACE)
7 East 85th Street
Suite A3
New York, NY 10028
pacenyemail@aol.com
http://www.paceusa.org
Tel: 212-665-PACE (7223)
Fax: 212-327-3075

11. Parent Resources
• Intractable Childhood Epilepsy Alliance
PO Box 365
6360 Shallowford Road
Lewisville, NC 27023
info@ice-epilepsy.org
http://www.ice-epilepsy.org
Tel: 336-946-1570
Fax: 336-946-1571
• http://akepilepsy.org/
• http://wisconsinseizure.net/docs/care_notebook/PARENT%
20RESOURCES.pdf
• https://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/living/children/parent
s/parentresources.cfm

12. Strategies to help in a classroom
• Repetition
• Direct instruction
• Constant patterning and interaction
• Predictable routine
• Placement in the front of the classroom for
better observation

13. Bibliography
• Epilepsy and the Family by Richard
Lechtenberg, M.D.
• First Aid & Family Health by Dr. Peter Fermie,
Dr. Pippa Keech, and Dr. Stephen Shepard
• www.epilepsy.com
• http://www.ehow.com/way_5490017_strategi
es-teachers-children-epilepsy.html

14. Sickle Cell

15. Definition of Sickle Cell
• A genetic blood disease due to the presence
of an abnormal form of hemoglobin.
Hemoglobin is the molecule in red blood cells
that transports oxygen from the lungs to the
furthest reaches of the body.

16. Rate of Occurrence
• Common Among:
– Ancestors from Sub-Saharan Africa
– Spanish speaking regions (S. America, Cuba, and
Central America)
– Saudi Arabia
– India
– Mediterranean (Turkey, Greece, and Italy)
– USA
• 1 in 500 African Americans
• 1 in 1,000 to 1,400 Hispanic Americans

17. Causes
• Hemoglobin allows red blood cells to carry oxygen. It is
made up of alpha chains and beta chains. A child with
sickle cell disease has inherited two defective genes for
the beta chain of hemoglobin.
• The hemoglobin can take on an abnormal shape,
distorting the shape of RBCs. The cells change from a
normal round, doughnut shape to the elongated shape
of a sickle, or the shape of the letter "C."
• In order for sickle cell to occur, a sickle cell gene must
be inherited from both the mother and the father, so
that the child has two sickle cell genes.

18. Behavioral Characteristics
• Possible emotional trauma

19. Physical Characteristics
• Fatigue and Anemia
• Pain Crises
• Dactylitis (swelling and inflammation of the hands and/or feet) and
Arthritis
• Bacterial Infections
• Splenic Sequestration (sudden pooling of blood in the spleen) and
Liver Congestion
• Lung and Heart Injury
• Leg Ulcers
• Aseptic Necrosis and Bone Infarcts (death of portions of bone)
• Eye Damage
• Other Features

20. Educational Needs
• Like everyone else, children with sickle cell
disease will have different abilities. Some will do
well and go on to higher education, others will
have difficulty with their school work. But as
good parents, it is up to you to ensure that each
child has the best possible opportunities for
learning. If your child is sick and has to be away
from school, you can help avoid them falling too
far behind by speaking with his/her teacher, and
together making a 'catch-up' study plan.

21. Resources
• Future Perfect By: Lori B. Andrews
• http://scinfos.hostcentric.com/sickletrait.htm
• http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/about_scd/g
lossary.phtml
• http://www.cdc.gov/NCBDDD/sicklecell/articl
es.html (article)

22. Organizations
• American Society of Hematology
• Genetics Education Center (University of Kansas
Medical Center)
• Genetics Home Reference - National Library of
Medicine
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH)
• National Marrow Donor Registry
• Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.
• Sickle Cell Kids.org

23. Parent Resources
• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/
career/Tips-for-parents-of-children-with-
sickle-cell_8167489
• http://scinfo.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle-
cell_disease

24. Strategies that help in a classroom
• Keep hydrated
• Control environmental temperature
• Allow resting periods

25. Bibliography
• http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/sickl
e_cell_anemia.html#
• http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/sicklec
ell/sicklecellteachers.cfm
• http://www.medicinenet.com/sickle_cell/page2.
htm
• http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?
articlekey=11232
• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/car
eer/Tips-for-parents-of-children-with-sickle-
cell_8167489