possible seizures

I have a 6 1/2 year old daughter who frequently has the following problem:

All of a sudden she starts moaning, crossing her eyes, clasping her hands, and rocking back and forth.  She used to do this in pre-school, and the teacher thought that she might be autistic.  We took her to a phsycologist who said she was just fine.  She stopped doing this for over a year, and now she has started up again.  

When my husband or I tell her to stop, she stops.  But when I ask her if she knows she's doing it she tells me no.

She also has trouble sleeping at times and I wonder if this could be related at all.  

It doesn't matter what she's doing when she has these spells, she could be eating, watching TV, or she has them when she goes to bed also.

I'm just concerned about these and wonder if you could give me any information as to what might be the cause.

Thank You
Patti.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Patti,

It is quite likely that your daughter is displaying symptoms of a seizure disorder. The appropriate thing to do is arrange an evaluation (which will likely include an EEG) with a pediatric neurologist.