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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Arachnoid cyst and hydrocephalus
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Arachnoid cyst and hydrocephalus
by Cindy, Feb 03, 2006 12:00AM
My son is now 16 years old. We discovered the cyst when he turned 5 and he developed a huge, painful headache. Since then he is in special ed in school, has a shunt because fluid was building up and is also missing his corpus collosum.
My question for anyone is how did you make it thru school? My son is having learning problems and I am not sure that he is going to graduate. For his own good this worries me very much.
If there are any adults out there that went thru this .... please help me...I am very worried about my son. thanks .....
My question for anyone is how did you make it thru school? My son is having learning problems and I am not sure that he is going to graduate. For his own good this worries me very much.
If there are any adults out there that went thru this .... please help me...I am very worried about my son. thanks .....
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW, Feb 08, 2006 12:00AM
Your questions seems to be aimed at the MEdhelp audience
When the corpus callosum is missing, this is termed 'agenesis of the corpus callosum' and is a feature of several developmental brain problems including for instance Arnold-Chiari type II and Aicardi syndrome. Sometimes it can just occur on its own, and subarachnoid cysts are relatively common on their own as well.
Early intervention with special ed and other support services are important to maximise any potential a child with these problems has and can make a big difference. As long as you are doing this, at least you know you are doing everything, and you have to let him reach his own potential.
One might condsider doing an EEG to look for subtle seizures if there is a concern about him not doing as well as he should for his own baseline.
Good luck
When the corpus callosum is missing, this is termed 'agenesis of the corpus callosum' and is a feature of several developmental brain problems including for instance Arnold-Chiari type II and Aicardi syndrome. Sometimes it can just occur on its own, and subarachnoid cysts are relatively common on their own as well.
Early intervention with special ed and other support services are important to maximise any potential a child with these problems has and can make a big difference. As long as you are doing this, at least you know you are doing everything, and you have to let him reach his own potential.
One might condsider doing an EEG to look for subtle seizures if there is a concern about him not doing as well as he should for his own baseline.
Good luck
I was also born with a subarachnoid cyst and partial agenesis of the corpus callosum. I can't tell the difference in severity between your son's case and mine, so take this for what it's worth. I had a lot of difficulty in school, for various reasons. I was shorter than most of the people in school for quite a few years due to pituitary gland problems, but I also have learning disabilities. I'd actually say that most of my time in school was pretty miserable, but that was just because of a lack of understanding on the part of my teachers and parents. I finally went in for a full psychological study and was told that I am extremely intelligent, and that there are medical proofs to back up what I'd been trying to say about my difficulties in memory loss and learning.
The best advice that I can give is to try to be patient and understanding with your son, and above all, do anything you can to educate his teachers and yourself about the learning difficulties that he is facing. I can remember being lectured about being lazy because they couldn't believe that I actually did the homework but just forgot it at home. Reassure your son that his problems in learning have nothing to do with his intelligence. What I've learned to do in my case is to try to find ways to compensate for my memory. If I have a list of things to do, I know now that it all has to be written down for it all to get done. I hope that helps. I won't go into too much detail here, so it won't get long, but if you need to talk more about this, feel free to email me at Blake.***@****. Good luck! :)