What's the best way of explaining epilepsy to children?

Jenni's picture
Submitted by Jenni on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 02:00.
in

Hi --

My daughter's starting school this fall, and I'm wondering how best to explain her epilepsy to the other kids in her class. I'd like to be able to give her teacher some pointers on what to say.

Obviously, these are young children, so I don't think too much detail is needed. What are your ideas for a few sentences that let them know what might happen if she has a seizure without making a big deal out of it?

Jenni 

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What to say

Submitted by Annie on Mon, 04/21/2008 - 20:59.

Hi Jenni,

I think it depends on what kind of seizures your daughter has. If she only has occasional absence seizures, you might not have to say much because, at that age, the other kids might not even notice.

With Sarah's friends (she was 13 when she started having seizures after a car accident), I found that it worked to say that seizures were like a bolt of electricity going through her brain for a few seconds. If I was matter-of-fact about it, they were more comfortable.

Annie