Children with epilepsy

What happens when your child has a seizure? The British Epilepsy Association explains what to do and the treatments available

If your child has developed epilepsy, you are not alone. One in two hundred children in the UK have the condition. In the past, people with epilepsy faced a great deal of prejudice but attitudes are changing and there's also a good chance that the condition can be controlled. In fact, eight out of ten children who have the condition lead trouble-free lives.

What happens?

A seizure is caused by a temporary change in the way the brain cells work. Think of the brain as a computer with a network of nerve cells, which fires billions of electrical messages around our bodies, controlling everything we think, feel or do. Usually the messages travel between nerve cells in an orderly way. But sometimes without warning, an upset in brain chemistry scrambles the messages. When this happens the neurons fire off faster than usual and in bursts. This disturbed activity triggers a seizure.

During a seizure children may black out or experience jerking movements. It only lasts a matter of seconds or minutes, then the brain cells return to normal.

What to do

It can be very frightening to see your child having a seizure. You’ll need to describe what happened to the doctor so try to stay calm and be observant.

DO:

  • Loosen any tight clothing around the neck
  • Protect the child from any sharp objects. If they’re having a partial seizure, guide them away from danger.
  • If the child falls, cushion their head.
  • Aid their breathing by gently placing the child on his or her side.
  • Stay with the child until they are fully recovered. Reassure them quietly.
DON’T:
  • Try to restrain the child.
  • Put anything in their mouth or force anything between their teeth.
  • Try to move the child unless they are in danger.
  • Give the child anything to drink until they have fully recovered.
We still don’t know the cause of epilepsy. We do know that most children with the condition have the same range of intelligence and abilities as unaffected children. Some have physical or mental problems as well as seizures, which may be linked to brain damage or disease.

Diagnosis:

Epilepsy is difficult to diagnose and other conditions, like febrile convulsions or breath-holding attacks, can be mistaken for a seizure:

  • Febrile convulsions: A series of muscular spasms, usually caused by a high temperature and linked to childhood illness such as tonsillitis or teething. Most children grow out of them by the time they start school.
  • Breath-holding attacks: An extreme reaction to shock or frustration. Instead of screaming with fear, pain or anger, the child screams once, draws a huge breath and then holds it for so long she/he passes out. Although alarming, your child can't do himself lasting physical harm during an attack.
Diagnosis

As well as diagnostic tests, such as blood tests, your child may have a brain scan and an EEG (Eclectroencephalogram) to trace the brain’s electrical activity.

Treatment

The aim is to control your child's tendency to have seizures by:

  • avoiding things which trigger seizures
  • taking anti-epileptic drugs. Your child will usually stay on anti-epileptic drugs until she/he has been free from seizures for at least two years.
Try not to be overprotective or concentrate all your attention on the child with epilepsy. Some children's seizures are made worse by stress, emotional upset or boredom, and in some cases the anti-epileptic drugs can cause difficult behaviour.

Where friends, neighbours and relatives are concerned, you’ll find openness and honesty are the best ways to combat any stigma surrounding epilepsy. Most people are sympathetic if they know how they can help.

Difficult to control epilepsy (epilepsy 'plus')

Although the outlook is good for most children with epilepsy, some children have severe forms of the condition which are difficult to control with drugs and they continue to have seizures. This is often called 'epilepsy plus' and these children may have other problems, such as delayed development and learning difficulties.

For more information see The British Epilepsy Association website.