Epilepsy in Down Syndrome is an important disorder for families to be aware of. Though it is not very common, epilepsy occurs more frequently in those with Down Syndrome than in the general population, with a prevalence up to about 15%.

Infantile (Epileptic) Spasms represent the most common epilepsy syndrome in Down syndrome.  Infantile Spasms usually occur in the first year of life, but may present later, particularly in children with Down syndrome.  Compared with the general population, there is a higher risk of infantile spasms in babies with Down syndrome…

Infantile spasms has many potential causes. The clinical course and outcome can vary from patient to patient. Below I will describe some cases to illustrate just how variable infantile spasms can be.

Infantile spasms are a unique type of seizure disorder that appears in infancy. Although infantile spasms are rare in the general population, they are the most common type of seizure seen among babies with Down syndrome, with a prevalence of approximately three percent. They emerge between the ages of three and twelve months, peaking at four to eight months…

Moishey’s birthweight was only five and a half pounds, and much like his siblings before and after him (there we go again – even though babies with DS will frequently have failure to thrive, Moishey’s pattern of weight gain and growth was replicating his non-DS sibs) he gained weight very slowly, averaging a quarter pound a week. By the time he was three months old, he weighed only eight pounds and had a huge cold.

We used to think that Corona was a brand of beer. Now, almost a year later, we have all experienced this devastating pandemic on some level.

When NYC locked down and students were subjected to learning from home I was fraught with anxiety. How will this EVER WORK? But thanks to the outstanding efforts of Yehuda’s yeshiva, it was a lifesaver.

As every year, the day is very hectic.  I sit for a few minutes though, reviewing in my head the events of the last few months. I am overwhelmed by the enormity of what has happened to me… my family…the world.  COVID-19 has overtaken everything we know as normal.  For my family, however, our personal journey through this mageifa gave us all the opportunity to witness, before our very eyes, nissim geluyim, the effects of the power of tefillah and the benevolence of the Ribbono Shel Olam.

“Can you call her?”
That request was posed to me, asking me to reach out to a new ‘mother’ (aka.. a woman who had just joined the exclusive club of having a baby with Down syndrome).
And so, I hesitantly called Mrs. Klein. We shared mutual friends.