A girl aged 9 years with Rasmussen's encephalitis previously treated by left temporal lobectomy suddenly developed prolonged attacks of extremely rapid respirations associated with poverty of body movements and greatly reduced facial movements with loss of speech. Her comprehension appeared intact and she responded to certain requests. Her eye gaze behaviour suggested a high degree of vigilance. The attacks would last from minutes to hours and were repeated up to a dozen times daily. In the context of the stress generated by the illness and other family problems the attacks had been mistaken for an hysterical elaboration. Their ictal nature was confirmed by EEG/video monitoring. Possible links with other developmental language disorders associated with epilepsy are discussed, including a model of autism.