Seizures in Later Childhood and Teenage Years

As children with Dravet Syndrome become older, there is likely to be a change in the pattern of their seizures.

Children who have Dravet Syndrome may experience a lot of seizures in the first 10 years of their lives. But they may be shorter than in early childhood and not always need emergency medication. Prolonged seizures can continue to be a risk and may be more likely to happen when a child has a fever.

A child may experience the following seizures in later childhood and their teenage years:

Myoclonic seizures

‘Myo’ means muscle and ‘clonus’ means jerk. These types of seizures involve one part of, or the whole, body. They can be subtle or mild and can cause a fall. Myoclonic seizures are brief but can happen in clusters close together. They often happen shortly after someone wakes up. Myoclonic seizures are classified as generalised seizures, which means both sides of the brain are affected at the same time.

Watch the Epilepsy Society video to find out what the experience of a myoclonic seizure may be like.

Atypical absence

Absence seizures are usually brief, lasting up to 30 seconds, at most. The person can become blank and unresponsive for a few seconds and may appear to be ‘daydreaming’. These seizures may not be noticed because they are brief. They can be accompanied by head nodding or jerks.

‘Atypical’ refers to the results of an electroencephalogram (EEG) test or scan when someone has this type of seizure. An EEG is a recording of electrical activity in the brain.

Focal impaired awareness seizures

These seizures usually involve loss of awareness and extra movements, such as smacking the lips, fumbling or fiddling the hands. After the seizure, the person may be confused for a while. It may be hard to tell when the seizure has ended but the person might be tired and want to rest.

These seizures typically last more than 30 seconds with a further period of time needed for someone to fully recover.

Nocturnal (night-time) seizures

As children get older, they can begin to experience seizures at night, particularly as they transition through sleep phases. For some families, this feels like a positive change as their child will not sustain any injuries from falling, but for others, it can cause additional anxieties and fears.