What Teachers Should Know Epilepsy is a disease in which the brain's electro-chemical signals misfire. This temporarily disrupts communications among nerve cells, leading to seizures. Seizures can vary in severity, frequency, duration, and appearance. Seizures can be scary — students may lose consciousness, jerk or thrash violently, or appear to have difficulty breathing. Seizures may leave students temporarily confused or unaware of their surroundings. Some seizures are so brief and minor that only careful observation can detect them — a student may simply blink or stare into space for a moment before resuming normal activity. Most kids and teens with epilepsy can be successfully treated with medication. Certain things can sometimes trigger seizures in people with epilepsy, including: flashing or bright lights lack of sleep stress illness or fevers too much stimulation (from computer screens or video games, for example) Students with epilepsy may: need to go to the school nurse for medications, or rest if they feel a seizure coming on have side effects from medication, causing them to be tired, moody, or less attentive miss class time due to seizures or doctor visits have other neurological problems that cause learning disabilities or behavior problems need seating accommodations so teachers can watch for seizure-like symptoms feel embarrassed about their condition What Teachers Can Do Most students with epilepsy can participate in school sports, phys-ed, and other activities, with appropriate supervision and precautions. Make sure your students with epilepsy have 504 education plans and be prepared to respond in the event of an emergency in accordance with the plan. Most seizures are not life threatening, but if one lasts longer than 5 minutes or your student seems to have trouble breathing, call 911 immediately. After seizures that last more than 30 seconds, most kids and teens are exhausted, disoriented, confused, or even combative and agitated for minutes to hours. Your student may need to go to the school nurse to lie down or go home for the day. You can help by providing extra time to make up any missed class work or assignments, and offering emotional support. Back to Articles Related Articles Word! Seizure You might hear a seizure called a convulsion, fit, or spell. Read More Epilepsy It comes from a Greek word meaning "to hold or seize," and seizures are what happen to people with epilepsy. Learn more about epilepsy in this article written just for kids. Read More Epilepsy Seizures are a common symptom of epilepsy, a condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Learn all about epilepsy, including what to do if you see someone having a seizure. Read More Epilepsy Epilepsy causes electrical signals in the brain to misfire, which can lead to multiple seizures. Anyone can get epilepsy at any age, but most new diagnoses are in kids. Read More Seizures Seizures are caused by a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. Find out what you need to know about seizures and what to do if your child has one. Read More First Aid: Seizures Although seizures can be frightening, usually they last only a few minutes, stop on their own, and are almost never life-threatening. Read More A to Z Symptom: Seizure Seizures can be frightening, but most last only a few minutes and stop on their own. Read More A to Z: Seizure, Petit Mal See: Seizure, Petit Mal. Read More A to Z: Seizure, Tonic-Clonic A tonic-clonic seizure (also called a grand mal seizure) is a sudden attack that brings on intense muscle spasms and loss of consciousness. It is caused by abnormal brain activity and affects the entire body. Read More A to Z: Seizure, Absence An absence seizure (also called a petit mal seizure) is type of epileptic seizure that causes a person to briefly lose consciousness and stare ahead without moving, appearing "absent." Read More A to Z: Seizure, Grand Mal See: Seizure, Tonic-Clonic. Read More 504 Education Plans If your child has special needs in the classroom, he or she may be eligible for a government-supported learning plan. Read More Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor. © 1995-2021 KidsHealth®. All rights reserved. Images provided by The Nemours Foundation, iStock, Getty Images, Veer, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com.