A Real Sleeping Princess?
I just became aware of another disorder of the brain that causes hypersomolance. It is called Kleine-Levin Syndrome. I have always speculated that many of our fairy tales were not just imagination, but explanations of real observations. For instance, the fiery dragons of the medieval period might be remembrances from the past of something like leviathan mentioned in Job in the Bible. Now we find some teenagers of both genders who may be affected by needing to sleep over 20 hours per day for months or even years. Is it genetic or resulting from some contact with a virus? That is the subject of much research. Maybe Rip Van Winkle isn't just a figment of someone's imagination.
I just became aware of another disorder of the brain that causes hypersomolance. It is called Kleine-Levin Syndrome. I have always speculated that many of our fairy tales were not just imagination, but explanations of real observations. For instance, the fiery dragons of the medieval period might be remembrances from the past of something like leviathan mentioned in Job in the Bible. Now we find some teenagers of both genders who may be affected by needing to sleep over 20 hours per day for months or even years. Is it genetic or resulting from some contact with a virus? That is the subject of much research. Maybe Rip Van Winkle isn't just a figment of someone's imagination.
posted by Ray Cummins @ 9:55 AM
4 Comments:
My brother has Asperger's Syndrome. He is an Optics Research Scientist for the University of Alabama and NASA. He is designing the telescope that will replace the Hubble in 2013.
Linda from Wichita
Thank you for that information. If you would feel at liberty, can you describe for us how our readers can suspect that a child has the syndrome? Is it necessary to know a diagnosis and is treatment ever required? It appears to me that just having a syndrome does not imply that it is harmful or that it should be treated.
I work with autistic children and am quite familiar with its characteristics. The characteristics vary widely according to the severity of the autism. The signs are usually a lack of language or the language is babble or echolalia (repeating comercials or movie lines or repeating what was said to him), a lack of eye contact, sensitivity to light, sounds, or textures, unable to read and understand social cues, be a sensory seeker or avoider, and may have repetitive and/or be obsessive/cumpulsive (OCD). They usually see things very concretely. I showed a little boy a picture of children jumping and told him to do that. He jumped and laughed a fake laugh. I looked closely at the picture and the jumping children were laughing. He was imitating the picture completely. Children with Asperger's usually have unusual knowlege in one or more areas but may not be able to process simple directions. When the symptoms interfere with the child's ability to learn or to function in his environment, it is time to seek help. The earlier the child receives intervention, the more likely he will be successful in life. My brother was basically a typical child who had OCD behaviors and sensory seeking behaviors such as rocking. He was and still is very sensitive to sound. He began having social problems in high school, missing a lot of school his senior year but still making a 4.0. It wasn't until his son starting exhibiting the same characteristics that he sought a diagnosis. Once he learned what he had, he understood himself and why he felt the way he did. He has been able to use those traits to become a renowned scientist who speaks all over the world.
As to your question, early treatment is very necessary. It doesn't take away those unique characteristics that make such great scientists, etc., it gives them the tools they need to learn to communicate and be successful.
For a unique prospective, read "Thinking in Pictures" by Dr.Temple Grandin. She has high level autism and is an engineer who designs "humane" livestock handling facilities. Her website is www.grandin.com. I know you would find her very interesting.
Hope this helps,
Linda C. - Wichita
Linda C.,
Thanks for the information. I found Dr. Grandin's web site fascinating and have put on a new blog post this morning using an excerpt from her book. I hope this discussion will help parents recognize early the characteristics and get the treatment and guidance. Thanks for the success story about your brother!
Post a Comment
<< Home