Aspies For Freedom

I know that someone in this forum made a call a while ago to boycott the US science magazine Discover after it published an unscientific article about autism, but I've gone and bought the latest copy because it has a very interesting article in it about Landau-
Kleffner syndrome (LKS).

Here are the details of that article:

"Boy, interrupted" by Liza Lentini, in Discover, November 2007, pages 38-43.

For quite a long time I have had a suspicion that many of those highly emotional curebie parents who say stuff like "Autism stole my child" "Overnight he lost all ability to communicate" "My child gashes his own flesh till he is a bloody mess" etc, etc, may or may not have kids who genuinely are on the autistic spectrum, but the kids' major problem is some abominable degenerative brain disease that has epilepsy as a symptom. I think I've Discovered what that horrible brain disease is.

Just the other day I was reading a classic piece of pleading-for-help prose by an Australian parent of two children who have been diagnosed with AS. The parent explained that life is hell for his family because the two kids scream all day long. Since when was screaming all day long considered a symptom or characteristic of Asperger syndrome?

I'd be at my wit's end too if my kids screamed all day long, but they don't. They just argue all day long. Sad

From the Friends of Landau Kleffner Syndrome site

Quote:

Landau Kleffner Syndrome (LKS)

Landau Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) is a rare form of epilepsy that only affects children, and causes them to lose their understanding of language. The main epileptic activity happens during sleep and is usually not obvious to others. It can be seen on brain wave recordings (EEG, electroencephalography.). There may, however, also be visible seizures at night and/or during the day. LKS may also be referred to by a variety of related terms* that describe its effects.

As the condition is not well known and has complex effects on language and often also on behaviour, it can take some time before the whole picture is recognised both by parents and professionals and so it can take some time before LKS is diagnosed.

*Landau Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) may also be termed:

Acquired aphasia of childhood with seizures

Epileptic aphasia

Receptive aphasia � (loss of comprehension)

Verbal auditory agnosia

Pure word deafness

Aphasia means disturbance in the ability to use language. Receptive refers to understanding or comprehension, expressive refers to use of spoken language. Agnosia means the person is unaware of their failure to recognise, or understand.

Lili Marlene

Tigger_the_Wing