As this reflection paper should be about a child’s disease, I referred to the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as it provides the most authoritative and current information. I found the report on seizures in children and selected an article, which is called First Look: U.S. Youth and Seizures.
Before reading it, I expected to get some statistical information about the frequency of seizures in children, the reasons why they happen, what influence they have on kids and what should be done to improve the situation. After reading the article, I found out that the director of the CDC’s Division of Population Health sees the lack of awareness is one of the main issues that are to be dealt with, and I agree with him (“First Look: U.S. Youth and Seizures” 1).
According to the reports made by parents, 0.7% of American children suffered from seizures in the previous year. Of course, this number does not look enormous in this way, but when considering it as more than 335,000 of individuals, the problem looks much more critical. It proves that hundreds of thousands of US kids yield to disease, which has an adverse influence on their health and future.
Seizures do not vanish without a trace. In the majority of cases, they are entailed by head injuries, various infections, and even epilepsy. Depending on the severity of the injury, a kid may have serious health problems that will affect one’s life in general. One may not be able to play with friends outdoors and attend school. As a result, a child will be likely to become detached and have problems when communicating with peers.
It is also said that seizures are often followed by co-occurring conditions. Because of frequent headaches and migraines, children may also face difficulties. They may have bad mood due to the constant pain and have no will to study and entertain. A headache prevents one from concentrating; it makes people irritable and frustrated, which may lead to depression and suicidal thoughts with time. It is also stated that seizures can come along with learning disabilities. Not knowing it, the parents and teachers may demand from the child too much, failing to realize that one needs help and cannot enhance performance without some treatment.
It is stated that “children with seizures were more than two times more likely to visit an emergency department in the past year” (“First Look: U.S. Youth and Seizures” 1). As they are frequent visitors at the hospitals, these kids are also likely to miss many school days, which has an adverse influence on their academic achievements and knowledge, in general.
For seizures not to spoil the child’s life, the school personnel, and the families are to be aware of seizures and epilepsy and their peculiarities. They should make sure that the kid has decent access to healthcare and consults a medical specialist at least twice a year just to make sure that one’s condition is decent. It was found that many children who have seizures live in poor families. Of course, this problem cannot be easily solved, so the value of free and accessible healthcare turns to be vital. The barriers between children and medical care should not be treated as a normal thing because the rates of kids who suffer from seizures may turn into the death rates with time.
Thus, I totally support this article and believe that the seizures and epilepsy are to receive more attention. This source provided me with reliable information based on the reports and researchers conducted by the professionals. The article is not only informative and useful but also easy to understand, which makes it even more valuable.
Works Cited
First Look: U.S. Youth and Seizures n.d. Web.