Narcolepsy in young children is not frequently talked about, but The Indepenent.ie Web site took the time to explore the “nightmare” that one 9-year-old has experienced. The article by details the life of a child who must take a 20-minute nap in school each morning at 10 a.m., and another 30-minute doze in the afternoon when he returns to the family home in Rathgar (Ireland).
This is despite the strong medication which his mother, Mairead Lawless, says, is actually licensed for use by adults, but which is crucial to keep Alex alert in the mornings, and provide the deep night-sleep denied him by his debilitating condition.
“It’s a struggle to keep him awake enough to do his homework,” says Lawless in the article. “He struggles to concentrate and focus, and finds it difficult to pay attention in school. He can be very bad-tempered when he’s tired and he’s a very different child to what he was.”
Quinlan writes that the child “can no longer find the energy for the sports he once adored – while other boys of his age are out kicking footballs and getting into mischief, his mother says all Alex wants to do is sit on the sofa. Once an active, outgoing child, who was full of energy and had lots of friends, Alexander has become quiet, lacking in energy and unable to participate in activities with his pals.”
