How to Recognize Absence Epilepsy

According to MayoClinic.com, an absence seizure, or petit mal seizure, “involves a brief, sudden lapse of conscious activity. Occurring most often in children, an absence seizure may look like the person is merely staring into space for a few seconds." This condition often presents itself in children 3 to 12 years of age but may persist into adulthood. The episodes last from a few seconds to 10 seconds or more, multiple times throughout the day. When seizures occur, the sufferer is in effect “losing time.” Petit mal seizures may be difficult to detect, especially in children because people simply look “spaced out.”

Instructions

• 1

  Pay attention to your child’s expressions and movements during a staring episode. Common signs of petit mal seizures are staring, eye rolling, eyelid fluttering, chewing, hand movements, and slight arm movement.

• 2

  Touch the child or call her name. If a child seems to be in a vacant staring episode, touching an arm or a shoulder will not rouse the child from a petit mal seizure.

• 3

  Listen if your child has often gotten angry and insisted that they didn’t hear you or that he or she doesn’t remember something; the child may be telling you the truth. During a petit mal seizure, the person cannot hear or see consciously and may not have been aware at the time.

• 4

  Make note of school performance because “A noticeable decline in a child's learning ability may be the first sign of this disorder. Teachers also may comment about a child's inability to pay attention,” states MayoClinic.com

• 5

  Look for a noticeable decline in a child's handwriting. The child’s letters may trail off or become increasingly messy. Long, jagged lines may indicate when the child is in the midst of an episode.

• 6

  Hyperventilation and flashing lights trigger petit mal seizures. During physical activity, pay attention to see if the child has brief, staring episodes or if the child seems confused.