Why are seizures sometimes hard to recognize?
Not all seizures are convulsions. Seeing a child in the grip of a convulsion is a frightening experience for parents and almost always ends with a visit to the doctor. But convulsions are just one type of seizure that a child or teenager may have. Other kinds of seizures are hard to recognize because they last such a short time and they look so much like the normal things that children do. The following are some of the signs that may mean a young child is having seizures: • Short attention blackouts that look like daydreaming. • Sudden falls for no reason. • Lack of response for brief periods. • Dazed behavior. • Unusual sleepiness and irritability when wakened from sleep. • Head nodding. • Rapid blinking. • Frequent complaints from the child that things look, sound, taste, smell or feel funny. • Clusters of grabbing movements with both arms in babies lying on their backs. • Sudden stomach pain followed by confusion and sleepiness. • Repeated movements that look out of place or unnatur
