Seizures are sharp changes in physical movement, behavior or consciousness that tend to occur suddenly and that typically last for a short time. Children are at higher risk for seizures than any other age group.

Seizures can affect any process controlled by the brain. This includes movement, sensation, consciousness, vision and thinking. They are caused by a wide variety of factors. In most cases, seizures do not pose serious health risks and quickly pass. However, they can signal the presence of an illness or other disorder. Parents should always consult the child's physician (e.g., pediatrician) after a seizure so a proper diagnosis can be made. If this is the first seizure that has occurred, a physician should be contacted right away. If the child already has been diagnosed with a seizure disorder, parents should follow the advice of their child’s physician in how to proceed during the seizure. Typically, medical care is not necessary if the seizure is similar to those that have occurred before and if it lasts for less than five minutes. 

Parents of a child who is experiencing a seizure are urged to remain calm and to ease their child safely down to the floor and away from furniture or other nearby objects. Any tight clothing around the head or neck should be loosened, and the child should be turned onto his or her side. 

During a seizure, parents should not rub their child with alcohol, place their child in a tub of cold water (which can injure the child or reduce a fever too rapidly) or bundle up their child in warm clothing (which can cause a fever to rise). They also should not try to force anything into the child’s mouth -- including any medicines, foods or beverages -- during a seizure and should not try to restrain the child. The tongue cannot be swallowed during a seizure.

Parents are urged to seek emergency care if their child has a seizure and experiences breathing difficulties or begins to turn blue. In addition, medical care is needed if a child is on an antiseizure (anticonvulsant) medication and nonetheless has a seizure that lasts for longer than 10 minutes.

Certain symptoms accompanying a seizure may indicate the presence of meningitis. Parents are urged to immediately consult a physician if their child has a fever, stiff neck or drowsiness associated with a seizure.

Medical care also should also be immediately summoned for any child who has seizures and who:

• Appears ill or irritable
• Has experienced a head injury
• Has a heart condition
• Is suspected of ingesting poisons, medications or other substances