Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS)

Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS), also termed as acquired epileptic aphasia, aphasia with convulsive disorder, or infantile acquired aphasia, is characterized by a sudden or gradual manifestation of the inability to express or understand language and seizures. This usually affects 3 to 7 year-old-children and may be misdiagnosed as autism, learning disability, ADHD, and other related conditions.

LKS may be confirmed through overnight sleep electroencephalogram. It has no known specific cause but it is highly associated with other conditions such as head injuries, demyelinating disease, and low-grade tumors. The treatments include anticonvulsants, corticosteroids, and speech therapy. This rare neurological syndrome was first described in 1957 by William Landau and Frank Kleffner, neurology professors at Washington University.