Seizures and Autism can be associated together

Autism is one of the disorders that can also be associated to seizures and even Epilepsy, on occasion.

Seizures and Autism

Autism is a disorder that is not only affecting the communication and social skills but also how the brain processes the information.

The connections of the autistic brain are different from someone who is not affected by Autism. You see, where the informations related to knowledge and vocabulary is more on the back of the left side of the brain.

The social skills is situated on another part of the brain. The left side is known for the processing of information, the logic and analyzing situations as the right side of the brain contains the artistic and emotional aspect of the personnality of the person. The person with Autism has a brain that is processing differently.

The part of the brain that is responsable for vocabulary and knowledge is also where it stores the information concerning the communication and social skills which explains that it more difficult to interact and communicate as well as understanding emotions and expressions or follow the common rules to establish relationships like listening, empathy and reading body language. The language is also taken litterally which makes it difficult to understand more abstract meanings or read between the lines.

Some of the cells are also younger than others, in a part of the brain, which means that they are still developing and maturing and explains some delays in certain skills as well as more fragile "connections" between brain cells. The size of the head of someone with Autism is often bigger.

This fragility that comes from these differences in the development of the brain is also often responsible in being more sensitive to suffering of processing problems to certain triggers. Since people with Autism are often intrigued, attracted and sometimes mesmerized by flashing lights, rapid motions of objects or rotation, they are more more sensitive to suffer seizures caused by these triggers.

If someone is affected by the Autism Spectrum Disorder, also known as ASD, it doesn't mean that he or she will automatically be suffering from seizures but they may be more susceptible to be affected because of the different processing and level of development of the brain. Like anyone else, seizures do not affect everyone with Autism but may be present more often and have a higher level in autistic people.

Like anyone suffering from seizures, always have this person check out by a medical specialist so he or she may receive the appropriate care and follow up. A seizure is a seizure, with or without Autism.

Types of seizures and their categories

There are more than 30 different types of seizures. Seizures are divided in two categories: focal or generalized seizures. Each category includes several types of seizures.

Category: Focal seizures

• Another name for focal seizures is partial seizures as it affects only a certain part of the brain.

• Approximately 60% of people affected by Epilepsy are part of this category.

• After identifying the area of the brain that is affected by these seizures, the name of the area will be part of the diagnosis. For example, if the patient Temporal lobe is affected, the name of the diagnostic will be the focal temporal lobe seizures.

• When someone is suffering from a simple focal seizure, the person will remain in a state of consciousness but will experience some odd feelings and sensations. The person may suddenly experience confusing and sudden emotions such as anger, joy or sadness. The patient may also feel nauseated and his senses might provide some stimuli that are not real. For example, the person might smell, feel textures, taste, see or hear things that are not part of the reality.

• When someone is suffering from a complex focal seizure, the person's state or consciousness is affected, the patient might even be unconscious. The patient might feel like in a dream. This person might display some strange repetitive behaviors such as twitching, blinking, walking in circles or make some specific movements with his/her mouth. These movements are called automatisms. Some more complex actions might also seem like they have a purpose or they may be done involuntarily. This type of seizure last usually a few seconds and the person may even continue the task at hand.

• Amongst people suffering from focal seizures, especially the complex focal seizures, some might experience some auras which are odd sensations that are warning the patient of the upcoming seizure. In fact, these auras are actual simple focal seizures that are experience during consciousness. Usually, the auras are similar every time.

• The symptoms of focal seizures may be confused with other medical conditions which also cause a dreamlike sensation for the patient. These conditions are: migraine headaches, narcolepsy, mental illness or fainting spells. For this reason, a person should require the care of a specialist and may also need some testing before identifying the medical problem as being Epilepsy or another disorder.

Category: Generalized seizures

• Generalized seizures are the result of some abnormal neuron activity on both sides of the brain which may cause falls, big muscles spasms or a loss of consciousness.

• Generalized seizures include several types of seizures.

• Absence seizures affect the patient with the following symptoms or behaviors: twitching, staring into space and jerking. This type is also referred to as the petit mal seizures which is the older term for them.

• Tonic seizures display the stiffening of muscles, especially the ones of the arms, the legs and the upper body.

• Clonic seizures display repetitive movements or both sides of the body.

• Myoclonic seizures display jerking and twitching muscles of the arms, the legs and the upper body.

• Atonic seizures are responsible for a loss of normal muscle tone. The person may fall and he/she might drop his/her head involuntarily.

• Tonic-clonic seizures display a mix of symptoms such as: stiffening of the body, repetitive jerking of the legs and/or legs as well as a loss of consciousness. Tonic-clonic seizures are also referred to as the grand mal seizures which is the older term for them.

• It is not always easy to define the category of the seizures of the patient: focal or generalized. Some people start with focal seizures which then become generalized seizures. Others may have both types but without a regular pattern.

• Even these days, a lot of people misunderstand Epilepsy, especially when there are no convulsions present. Sometimes, witnesses thought that the patient had them on purpose or even faked them. Some of them also have been arrested or admitted wrongfully in psychiatric hospitals. Because of this lack of knowledge and understanding, it is important that people seek some information about Epilepsy.

What is a Seizure?

A seizure is a reaction of the body caused by either a smell, a chemical imbalance, stress, a medical condition, an object, damage to the brain or any other problem that may cause the brain to overload and being unable to properly process the information to analyze in a proper fashion.

Sometimes, a seizure can be local or total. Someone suffering a seizure might loose consciousness or not. When there is a local seizure, some part of the body might display some convulsion as in a total seizure, the whole body can be convulsing at the same time.

You may also observe an absence which is when someone seems to daydream and out of touch even when called by his name. You may also observe a certain muscular tightness during that time.

Some seizures may cause damage to some part of the brain if the seizure is too long or the loss of consciousness is longer than expected. Others, will basically cause aches and pains and maybe a few bruises as the damages will be affecting only the body parts that are hitting objects.

Either way, with convulsions or not, the person affected by a seizure will be exhausted when it is all over and might even require some sleep.

In some cases, there might be several seizures in a row and in other cases, there might be only one. In either situation, it is always a good idea to be checked by a physician as the person who suffers might require some medical tests, some medications or if he is already taking medication, the dosage might need to be adjusted again.

A seizure may sometimes be predicted by either an aura which is a known smell, a flash or a sound that might trigger it. Sometimes, it offers some time as a warning but sometimes it is coming upon the patient instantaneously. Other people can predict them even a day in advance by noticing some symptoms or signs of it.

Some people may require some medication and others, just some rest. If someone has a seizure for the first time, always have a physician investigate the medical condition of this person to find out the cause and the ways to deal with this condition.

And finally, there is no age too young or too old for someone to suffer from a seizure disorder. There is no race or no financial situation that is more affected by seizures than others. The fact is: nobody is exempt of the possibility to suffer from seizures, now or in the future.

What can you do to help someone who suffers from a seizure? Find out in my next article!

Poisoning

Someone can develop seizures if he/she was exposed either to lead, carbon monoxide or several other poisonous chemicals. It can also be triggered by such factors as: stress, lack of sleep, hormonal unbalance associated with the menstrual cycle, stress and consuming alcohol.

All these factors are also called triggers which mean that they can cause seizures. These triggers do no cause Epilepsy but can cause seizures for someone whose seizures are usually under control by his/her medication or be responsible for someone's first seizures.

When someone is affected by an important lack of sleep, the chances are greater since it is one of the important seizures trigger. This is why someone that is suffering from Epilepsy should rest appropriately and be on a regular sleep pattern to prevent to be affected by this trigger.

Other people's trigger is called photosensitive which means that rapid flashes from a light or the flickering from a computer might cause them to suffer from seizures.

Cigarette smoking can also be a trigger since the nicotine excites the neurons to a point that the stimuli transmitted are increasing the speed of the transmission which can create and unbalance and seizures.

Sexual activity is not considered a trigger as in only a few cases did it cause seizures.