2016 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 14-20
Childhood-onset epilepsy associated with intellectual disability often becomes intractable. However, due largely to a lack of accurate information, parents tend to believe that the coexisting intellectual disability will be resolved once seizures are controlled, and incline to focus on curing the epilepsy instead of habilitating their children at an early stage to facilitate their personal growth. Unfortunately, over time, many come to regret having thought lightly about focusing on support for the disability and habilitation in younger years, as these could have made a greater difference in their children's life later on. In this article, some difficulties faced by individuals with epilepsy and intellectual disability in Japan, along with their caregivers, are presented based on the personal experience of a father in raising his daughter affected by Dravet syndrome. In the discussion, difficulties and bewilderment arising from lack of systematic transition from child care to adult care are emphasized.
