My daughter has been having these episodes for a while now, but I have finally decided to ask because I am not getting any answers from anybody else. Has anyone had experiences with children "zoning out"?
This is what happens when she does it: does not answer you, seems to not hear anything, looks off into space, sometimes moves hands or plays with her clothing (tugging, straightening) The episodes seem to last around 10 seconds and then she is completely back to normal.
She had an EEG done and we went over the results yesterday. They did not find a single thing! It is very frustrating because I do not know what is going on and what I can do to help.
Please if anyone has had anything close to this or seen this, please let me know. THANKS
**MORE INFORMATION**
My daughter is 11 years old
here's some more information based on some of the questions that were asked.
She has a pretty good sleep schedule, getting anywhere from 9-10 hours nightly.
she has healthy meals and not much junk food at all.
she wears glasses, which means she has good vision
we have not found any connection between physical activity and the "spacing out" (it happens even when she's not active)
when it happens, she does not respond when spoken to, however, she can feel pain (i pinched her hand once and she began rubbing it)
she told me yesterday that she cannot hear anything except when "its almost done"
ALL the time. I do it too. Both of my kids do it. I've witnessed SEVERAL other kids that do it.
It's usually when we're getting a little tired.
I do that sometimes too. I think I am just lost in my own thoughts maybe?
Sometimes I hear people trying to get my attention but not always.
Tired
Daydreaming
Epilepsy
ADD
Bored
Hearing problem
Low blood sugar
You could always go for a second opinion..
How old is she?
There are so many possibilities.. Document them. Try to keep a sleep journal and see if there is a pattern.
Make sure she takes a multivitamin in the morning after she has eaten.
Make sure in the evenings she gets some good running around time or riding her bike.. Get her blood flowing..
Is she getting enough sleep? Is she getting enough protein and veggies? I zone out when I'm tired or hungry. It's hard to concentrate if you're either. And remember kids need much more sleep than we do - so while 8 hours is fine for adults kids need something like 10 hours.
She could also just be enjoying a little daydream while she's not at school or some activitiy. It's kind of nice to look out the window and watch how the wind moves the leaves - or wahtever. She may very well hear you but while she's enjoying her moment of space she doesn't want to respond. When you ask did she hear you she's goign to say no - of course.
You might also get her eyes checked - not sure how old she is but somewhere around age 8 your vision begins to change if you're one of those people who'll end up needing glasses. Often times it's not picked up in kids until a few years later becuase kdis don't realize their vision is changing. I couldn't see the board in school for a few years - but I thought everyone had the same problem. I didn't get glasses until 6th grade - but probably needed them back in 2nd or 3rd grade.
If none of that is the case she could have ADD - you can have attention deficit without the hyperactivity. It could be affecting her school work so it's not a bad idea to get that looked at. My very smart neice has ADD and a small dose of medication helps her enormously. You'll have to go to a pediatric behavioral health specialist but they have a few different evaluation tools and they can tell pretty quickly.
Fortunately we live in the 21st century and in the US and have all kind of resources available to us - so we can address what needs to be addressed.
In any event it's not a huge deal Mama - have a great day with your girl!
My neice has been diagnosed with absence seizures. Her EEG was completely normal as well. My sister tried the meds but they were too intense. She's since been trying (and succeeding) diet/environmental/behavior remedies instead. Google it, see if anything sounds like your kid.
Good Luck!
my daughter does that - had the EEG done and everything came out normal. She only does it every so often now.
My aunt (a nurse, her husband is a Dr.) has a stepson who did this ... well into his pre-teen years. She said he would just 'freeze' sometimes, even in mid action (like tying his shoe) and he's an EXTREMELY bright man (he's now 43).
Hmmmm....have you thought about getting a second opinion? If you keep a log of when it happens, do you think there's a pattern or something that triggers it?
I mean it's common for kids to zone a bit. When we see "the look" on our 7 yo's face we say "he's HIT THE WALL" (he's extremely tired and it happens quickly) but this sounds like something more, right?
How often does this happen? Every day? Several time each day?
I would recommend you take a video of the episode (s), as many as you can and find a new pediatric neurologist. Go over to Phoenix Children's Hospital. They are in the process of merging with all the Peds Neurologists department from the prestigious Barrow Neurological Institute.
What you describe sounds like absence seizures. They typically can and do have normal EEG's...but longterm these seizures cause brain damage to a child's developing brain.
So stay on top of it....keep searching for answers. Go to a reputable center and get your daughter evaluated there.
I do that all the time
I'm just daydreaming
You HAVE to explore her diet. Regular doctors are so not ready to do this with you but a deficiency in vitamins or minerals can cause this I believe. Do your own research online.
Prime example:
My son has been having a neurological tic for about 6 weeks now. Two docs told me don't worry about it or make a big deal about it and it will go away. Well it got worse and kids were starting to notice. So I researched it online and came to find that this problem can be the result of magnesium deficiency. Got him a supplement...and in 3 days he was better!!! And it was not the placebo effect b/c one of the doctors tried that with allergy medicine and it didn't work. So-you gotta do your own research these days-and no reason not to with the internet. Doctors just do not want to be bothered going that extra mile for you.
Sounds like a seizure. May want to see a neurologist.
I had a student who did this. Her classroom teacher kept telling the mother that she thought it was seizures. She would look like she was paying attention to you, but it really looked like she was looking THROUGH you. They finally took her to a Dr. who did diag. seizures. Med have helped a lot.
I don't know what it is or what causes it, but I can say it happened to me from 5 years of age on into about my teen years. I turned out just fine, but like you, my parents were very frustrated as well. I think mine cleared up some once I hit puberty though, either that or I just did not notice it as much. I am sorry that I cannot help, but I can understand what she is going through and how frustrating it is for all involved.
D. P.
It does sound like seizures. Try keeping a video camera close by so that maybe you can catch one or two on tape, and show that to the doctor.
My sister has the same zone outs. She tugs at her clothes during them. She has been diagnosed with seizures and is taking a med for it. She is good now that she is on meds.
Keep looking for the right Dr. like a neurologist.
Good Luck
The first thing that came to my mind was a seizure. I know you've had many responses but I would research the absence seizure if it was me. I hope everything turns out ok.
My 2nd daughter did this. She was having absence seizures. My 6 yr old is now doing this. We (and her teacher) are monitoring her closely.
It sounds like absence seizures to me as well. If she isn't having the seizure during the EEG then it probably won't show up. Is she seeing a pediatrician or a neurologist right now? If she is not seeing a neurologist then that would be my next step. Pediatric neurologist would be best if possible. Good luck!
I do with my son, he is on the spectrum, at first we thought it was seizures but nope, so now they can't tell me exactly what it is, all I do is touch him very,very gently on his face(as per his neurologist advice) and he comes back, be careful not to startle her.
I don't give him medication and watch his diet, but since he do it every once in a blue moon, and all the testing we did came out normal. If you are concerned on how often this happens then seek another opinion and ask for further testing.
I will reiterate what others have already said, try and get video of it and keep a log of when it occurs so you can give it to the neurologist. EEG's don't always pick everything up, especially if it doesn't happen all the time.
