Each age and stage of life brings a different set of challenges. As teenagers reach young adulthood and start to gain independence from their families, they are faced with new physical, emotional, and social challenges. Teens and young adults with epilepsy will need to make choices about what to do after high school, about post-
secondary
education, employment, and career choices, and about whether to continue living at home. Parents can help prepare their child with epilepsy for this transition and support him through this period of emerging adulthood.
A teen's family and the epilepsy team can help ease the transition into adulthood by understanding the tasks associated with this particular stage of development, the teen's unique challenges and concerns, and how to address each of these challenges.
This section discusses some of the specific issues you and your family will face during the transition into adulthood, including:
- the transition to adult epilepsy care
- driving
- insurance
- financial support
- going to college or university
- dating, sexuality, and pregnancy
- employment
Both teens and parents can read and use the information in this section of the site. This section also discusses future directions in epilepsy research, and lists helpful resources.