Boy, Interrupted

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/nov/boy-interrupted

Summary:
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) is a mysterious and baffling disorder. This disorder was discovered in the 1950’s by neurologist William M. Landau and speech pathologist Frank R. Kleffner. They conducted studies on children with Aphasia, which is a loss of the ability to produce and/or comprehend language because of an injury to specific areas of the brain. They discovered that with some children there were more extreme cases of aphasia that occurred randomly between the ages of three and seven, which involved epileptic seizures and convulsions. Children with LKS have abnormal electrical brain waves which cause the brain to lose the capacity for memory, especially that of language. Unfortunately, children with LKS also tend to have many other symptoms, so many of them have been misdiagnosed.
No one has been able to discover the cause of this disorder or any possible cure for it. Steroids are often used as a treatment and in some cases surgery also has been performed. But because this disorder is so rare, its outcome is very unsure. Some children with LKS have grown out of it by age fifteen, possibly because of the onset of certain hormones, and then have undergone years of speech and language therapy and treatment. Others though live with it for the rest of their lives. William M. Landau, who is still studying this disorder at Washington University School of Medicine, says, “I’m very discouraged- we haven’t learned much at all. We know nothing about the cause yet…” Still, they have made some progress. Between 1957 and 1990 there were 160 diagnoses of LKS that were able to receive treatment. Because of disorders like LKS, we are reminded how important communication and language is to the human race.

Response:
Reading about this disorder and how the neurologists and doctors can’t even figure out why it occurs, reminds me how incredibly complex the human brain is. For some reason I just expect that once a disorder is discovered they should know why it happens, but obviously it’s not that easy. If we just look around the universe and see how intricate and complex it is, why should our human brain, made by the same creator’s hands, not be the same way? It is something that I don’t think will ever be completely understood and I don’t think it should be either. When disorders like LKS occur I think they are intended to draw us closer to God and make us rely completely on him. He is the only one in this universe who will know us entirely inside and out.