The princess and the p -value: A case report of suspected autoimmune encephalitis and functional neurological disorder in a pediatric patient

Autoimmune encephalitis is a rapidly evolving area of study in pediatric populations, and functional neurological symptom disorders are under-studied in children. Differential diagnosis among these disorders is challenging, but pediatric neuropsychologists are uniquely qualified to assist a multidis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied neuropsychology. Child 2020-01, Vol.9 (1), p.13-20
Main Authors: Wilkinson-Smith, Alison, Greenberg, Benjamin, Keech, Audrey
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Autoimmune encephalitis is a rapidly evolving area of study in pediatric populations, and functional neurological symptom disorders are under-studied in children. Differential diagnosis among these disorders is challenging, but pediatric neuropsychologists are uniquely qualified to assist a multidisciplinary team. This case illustrates a young girl with suspected autoimmune encephalitis, whose symptoms were revealed to be primarily functional in nature. She was followed over the course of two years with neuropsychological evaluation and consultation. Immunomodulatory treatments were tried, but psychosocial interventions eventually had the greatest impact. The implications for careful monitoring and assessment of pediatric patients with suspected autoimmune encephalitis by a pediatric neuropsychologist are illuminated by the case of this interesting girl and her family.
ISSN:2162-2965
2162-2973
DOI:10.1080/21622965.2018.1501373