Landau Kleffner Syndrome and Keppra

[Kaktus1]

My son is 4 y old. And he has LKS Syndrome. He is taking a Dopakina and Lamitrin. But there is no result. Yesterday d doctor gave me presription for Keppra. after one month he want to start with steroids. Pls what is your oppinion about this Keppra and the affter-effects, I read at the internet about it and it is scares me. My son is only 4 y. old. pls what should I do? I need a urgend respond.
Gabriela

[almiranda]

My daughter was four when she started having speech problems. Eventually, she stop talking completely. We did not know she had LKS. It was'nt until we seen a dozen specialist, and done all types of test, that we found a neourolist who diagnosed her with LKS. We tried different types of medications (Keppra, high dosage of Valieum, steroids and Depakote). She's currently on Depakote. We feel that this medication help her alot. By the way, steroids made my daughter three times her sizes and very hungary to the point that if you did not watch her every minute she would eat from the kitchen garbage.

We also arranged for weekly speech therapy. Our daughter, Taylor, is eleven years old now. She still has a retention and learning disability and attends a special needs school. However, her speech returned and she has an extensive vocabulary and can carry a intelligent and appropriate conversation with peers and adults. She's also making progress in other developmental areas. It's difficult at times, but we never gave up. I wish I could tell which medication triggered her speech back, but I can't. However, I believe Depakote has helped her alot.

My suggestion to you is, be very persistent and aggressive with the specialists/doctors. Be willing to try different medications. Send him to a speech therapy. Do whatever it takes to give your son a fighting chance to regain his speech. It worked with my daughter.

I know what you and your family are going thru and will keep you and your son in our prayers. There's hope, don't give up.

Al

[Kaktus1]

Dear Al,

thank you very much for your reply. I realy appreciate it as is very hard to find parents who want to share own expirance.
Pls if you dont mind I would like to ask you some more questions. My son has also epilepsy attacs so at the beggining the diagnosic was that he has only epilepsy (age of 3,2) and till now he had only 3 attacs. He had 4 EEG tests, and all are bad. Pls tell me is your daughter began to have worst days was it like long period of this worst days and after then good days came back. Or when worst days came it was only worst and worst. By my son I can see that good and bad periods entwine. From Dezember 2008 he had periods of some weeks that was good and than worst (till today actually he had two weeks of bad time : one in February and one in Mai - At this time his speech and remember abilities brought some problems. Sometimes he was using only words: I dont know. Sometimes he was talking only few words a day, he couldnt remember things and words. Is it normal? What should I expect now? If the bad days will come again? or it will never happen again? Now he is 3,9. When your daughter was diagnosed ? Did he have a epilepsy attacs too?