Descriptive analysis of epileptic seizures and problem behavior in adults with developmental disabilities

Abstract

We studied possible relations between seizures and problem behavior in 3 adults with developmental disabilities. Each person was observed for between 56 and 92 days to record occurrences of seizures and problem behavior. Results of our descriptive analysis indicated an association between seizures and problem behavior for each participant. For Stan, most problem behavior occurred following absence seizures. For Tom, problem behaviors only occurred before tonic-clonic seizures but showed no relation to absence seizures. For Mick, problem behaviors began before absence seizures, but no consistent relation was established between problem behavior and tonic-clonic seizures. Findings suggest that seizures and problem behaviors can be associated, but these patterns appear to be highly idiosyncratic across individuals.