Seizures factsheet
Introduction
Seizures, also known as convulsions, are uncontrolled changes in your child’s movement and behaviour. They may cause your child to lose consciousness or pass out.
They are caused by a disruption in the brain's normal electrical activity.
There are many causes of seizures, including:
- illness or infection
- high fever
- head injury
- genetics – traits passed down through families
- changes in the structure of the brain.
Signs and symptoms
There are a few different types of seizures that can happen in children. The way a seizure affects your child depends on which part of their brain has been affected.
It is helpful to write down exactly what your child’s seizure looks like. This can help doctors make a diagnosis.
Generalised seizures
Generalised seizures involve the whole brain. They include:
- absence – your child may stare and not respond for a few seconds, they might have twitching of their eyelids
- myoclonic – one muscle or a group of muscles jerk or twitch quickly, then stop
- clonic - muscles jerk or twitch over and over again
- tonic – the body suddenly becomes stiff
- tonic-clonic – a combination of tonic and clonic, where the muscles stiffen, jerk and twitch.
Tonic-clonic seizures are the most recognisable type of seizure.
During a tonic-clonic seizure, your child might go stiff, fall down, and start jerking rhythmically. They might also:
- bite their tongue
- wet themselves
- go blue around the mouth.
Focal seizures
Focal seizures affect specific parts of the brain. Your child may be conscious or unconscious, depending on which part of the brain is affected. They may stare or seem like they are not paying attention.
Focal seizures can also cause:
- Motor symptoms
- a specific part of the body will twitch, jerk or stiffen
- smacking the lips together
- fiddling with clothing
- grunting.
- Sensory symptoms
- problems with hearing
- odd feelings in a part of their body
- smelling something or seeing things that are not there.
Focal seizures can become generalised seizures if they spread to the whole brain. If this happens, your child may:
- lose consciousness
- fall over
- have stiffness and jerking, like in a generalised tonic-clonic seizure.
After the seizure, your child may be confused or have no memory of the event.
Diagnosis
Your child will need to be reviewed by a doctor the first time they have a seizure. This is to make sure no serious health issues are causing the seizures.
Your child’s doctor may refer you to a child health specialist, called a paediatrician. They may also refer you to a brain specialist called a neurologist.
These specialists will:
- review your child’s symptoms during their seizure, including any notes or recordings of the seizure you have made
- check your family medical history
- check how your child has been developing, learning, and growing so far
- do a physical examination of your child.
They may also order:
- blood tests
- scans of the brain, like an MRI or CT
- an electroencephalogram (EEG) - a test of brain activity.
Treatment
Treatment of seizures depends on the cause and type of seizures. Treatment of seizures may include:
- medications: anti-seizure medications can help control seizures in children
- fever management: medications like paracetamol may help reduce fever-related seizures
- antibiotics or antiviral medications if there is an infection, like meningitis.
Treatment of seizures for children who are diagnosed with epilepsy will depend on the type of epilepsy they have.
Management
Seizure First Aid
If your child is having a generalised tonic-clonic seizure:
- protect them from injury, especially to their head
- try to note what time the seizure starts and ends, and what happens during it
- roll them onto their side
- monitor their breathing
- stay with them and reassure them until they have fully recovered.
Do not:
- put anything in your child’s mouth, including your hand, during a seizure unless you are giving them emergency medication
- move your child during a seizure unless they are in danger.
If you think your child is having a focal seizure:
- stay calm and reassure them
- make sure they are safe and not in danger
- try to note the time the seizure starts and ends, as well as what happens during it.
Call an ambulance on triple zero (000) if:
- you are concerned about your child while they are having a seizure
- the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes
- the seizure happens in water
- your child is injured during the seizure
- your child may have inhaled liquid or food during the seizure
- your child’s breathing doesn’t return to normal shortly after the seizure
- your child remains blue around the lips
- you are unsure if your child is recovering normally.
Seizure Safety
Most children recover well after a seizure. The main risk is injury while the seizure is happening.
Seizure safety means taking steps to stop injuries if a seizure happens during certain activities.
Some activities have higher risks for children and teenagers who have seizures. Talk to your child’s doctor before they:
- use heavy machinery or power tools
- do activities at height, like rock climbing, abseiling or building work
- take part in fast-paced activities, like skiing or track racing.
Seizure safety and swimming
It's important to think about what you would do if a child had a seizure in water, including places like:
- oceans and beaches
- rivers
- dams
- swimming pools.
Surfing and swimming in the open ocean, rivers or dams is far more dangerous than in a pool.
Always watch children closely and never leave them alone around water. Adults supervising should know how to swim and be able to assist in an emergency.
Seizure safety is important even when there are lots of people around, including:
- school carnivals
- swimming lessons
- family outings
- trips with friends.
Seizure safety and activities like bike riding or skateboarding
Make sure your child always wears a helmet to protect their head in case of a seizure, crash, or fall.
Children under 16 years should ride on bike paths or in parks, not on the road.
Teenagers over 16 years should avoid riding on busy main roads with lots of traffic, as these are more dangerous.
Seizure safety around the home
- keep doors unlocked, especially in places like the bathroom, so you can help if a seizure happens
- encourage your child to take showers instead of baths, as they are safer
- never leave your child alone in the bath.
Seizure safety and driving
There are rules and legal requirements about driving and getting a driver’s licence if your child has seizures. Talk to your child’s doctor to learn more.
If your teenager or young person already has a driver’s licence before they have a seizure for the first time, they must stop driving and see a doctor.
Daycare and school
Work with your doctor to create a seizure management plan for school or daycare, so teachers and carers know what to do.
