Help to transform our extraordinary hospital into something even better.
View: 1946
Download: 45
Seeing your child having a seizure may be frightening, but the majority of seizures do not cause any harm. The advice below will help you to provide seizure management and first aid.
What to do depends on the type of seizure.
Absence seizures can often be overlooked by parents or teachers, as children might be mistaken for day dreaming.
A child having an absence seizure will lose consciousness for a few seconds and will not be aware of their surroundings. They will stop what they were doing before the seizure started and will return to what they were doing once the seizure has ended.
Absence seizures are usually short, lasting only a couple of seconds before self resolving.
If a child has an absence seizure, please:
If you can, make note of the number of absence seizures a child has during a day so that this information can be given to their doctor.
A focal seizure happens when the epileptic activity happens in just one part of the brain. The symptoms are usually, but not always, only on one side of the body.
Focal seizure symptoms include:
If a child has a focal seizure, please:
Some children may drop or fall to the ground during a drop seizure. Your child may be stiff or floppy. Recovery is usually quick, although it is possible for someone to hurt themselves when they fall to the ground. Please make sure to check your child for any injuries following a drop seizure.
A protective helmet may be necessary for children who have very frequent drop seizures.
Tonic-clonic seizures are convulsive seizures most commonly associated with epilepsy. At the start of the seizure, your child may cry out, then stiffen and fall to the ground. Their arms and legs will jerk quickly and rhythmically. Your child may be incontinent or bite their tongue during this type of seizure.
When a tonic-clonic seizure stops, your child will usually take a deep breath and their colour will return to normal. If they want to sleep after a seizure, let them. They will recover in their own time.
Make sure they stay in the recovery position and stay with them. Comfort and reassure them when they have recovered.
Some children with a history of longer seizures may be prescribed rescue medication. This can either be buccal midazolam, rectal diazepam, or rectal paraldehyde.
The doctor will give instructions on the use of rescue medication. An epilepsy nurse will explain how it should be given to your child.
The following advice applies to children who have tonic-clonic seizures who are not prescribed rescue medication.
Parents and carers of a child who has been prescribed rescue medication should follow the advice in your child’s protocol.
Call an ambulance if:
This position makes sure that:
Please note: this is a generic information sheet relating to care at Sheffield Children’s NHS FT. These details may not reflect treatment at other hospitals. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professionals’ instructions. If this resource relates to medicines, please read it alongside the medicine manufacturer’s patient information leaflet. If this information has been translated into another language from English, efforts have been made to maintain accuracy, but there may still be some translation errors. If you are unsure about any of the guidance in this resource or have specific questions about how it relates to your child, always ask your healthcare professional for further advice.
Resource number: EPL1
Resource Type: Article
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TH
United Kingdom
Switchboard: 0114 271 7000
We’ve got a special MRI scanner just for teddies so children can see what it’s like before they have a scan.
Help to transform our extraordinary hospital into something even better.