Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, face many complications over the course of their lives and, for some, the complications may be exacerbated by a pre-existing connection to a neurological complication. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, it is important to ask your doctor about the potential risks for developing a seizure disorder and seeking out medical testing to rule out, or confirm, this complication.

Epilepsy is a complication that is believed to be more prevalent in children with ADHD than in children without ADHD. While not all children with epilepsy will have ADHD, there does seem to be a close connection. When your child exhibits complications associated with hyperactivity, impulsivity, lack of focus, and lack of attention, seeking out testing for a seizure disorder may be prudent as well.

While medications to treat ADHD are effective, if your child also has a co-morbid complication with epilepsy, treatment for this neurological complication may be necessary. To gain optimal control over all symptoms, the treatment of both conditions, if they exist, is vital to your child’s long term health.

For some children with ADHD and epilepsy, the complications of ADHD are typically recognized and treated but the complications with epilepsy are often overlooked until such time as a seizure occurs. To ensure this does not happen to your child, simply ask your pediatrician for a referral to a neurologist for evaluation. Even when no prior symptoms of seizure disorder exist, it is still important to seek out this medical attention as a screening to rule out, or confirm, the condition.

Medications to control both ADHD and epilepsy can be provided together and children with these two conditions often live full, healthy, and productive lives. The key to your child’s optimal health lies in the detection and treatment of both conditions rather than waiting until the symptoms manifest and your child experiences a seizure without warning. Living with the ADHD is not only a mental health complication but also a complications with neurological origins for which treatment can be effectively provided.