What to Do if a Student Has a
Seizure
Marcus Simmons
Itawamba Community College
Information provided by:
The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and
Stroke & Epilepsy Ontario
Seizures Contents
• Types and Description of Seizures
– Video content of Seizure Examples
• What to do if you see someone
having a seizure with convulsions
and/or loss of consciousness
• When to call 911
• After the Seizure
• Seizures without convulsions or
loss of consciousness
Types of Seizures
• There are 2 main types of Seizures
– Primary Generalized Seizures
• Generally associated more with heredity
issues
• Begins with electrical discharge in a
widespread manner affecting both sides
of the brain
– Partial Seizures
• Generally associated with head trauma,
brain infection, strokes, and or tumors
• The is an electrical discharge limited to
one area of the brain
Primary Generalized Seizures
• Some of the different kinds of seizures
under this category are:
– Absence Seizures (Same as petit
mal)
– Atypical Seizures
– Myoclonic Seizures
– Atonic Seizures
– Tonic Seizures
– Clonic Seizures
– Tonic-Clonic Seizures (Same as
Grand Mal)
Absence Seizures
Tonic Clonic Seizures
Partial Seizures
• Some of the different kinds of
seizures under this category
are:
– Simple Partial Seizures
– Complex Partial Seizures
– Secondary Generalized Seizures
Simple Partial Seizure &
Nocturnal Seizures
Complex Partial Seizures
If you see someone having a seizure
with convulsions and/or loss of
consciousness.
• Roll the person on his or her side to
prevent choking on any fluids or
vomit
• Cushion the person’s head
• Loosen any tight clothing around the
neck
• Make sure the person’s airway is open
(Only if not breathing tilt the person’s
head back some and hold the jaw
open)
• Do not restrict the person from
moving unless they are in danger
Continued…
• Do not put anything into the person’s
mouth; not even fluids or medicine –
this can cause choking and damage to
the tongue, teeth, or jaw.
• Please Note: Contrary to popular
believe People cannot swallow their
tongues.
• Remove sharp or hard objects away
from the person during the seizure
• Please Note: Note how long the seizure
occurred and the symptoms exhibit so
that you might tell medical personnel
later
• Always stay with the person until the
seizure has ended
When to Call 911
• Always best to call and alert Campus
police
• Specific situations in which you should
definitely call:
– The person is pregnant or has diabetes
– The seizure happened in water
– The seizure lasted for more than 5
minutes
– The person did not start breathing or
having trouble breathing
– Another seizure starts before the
person has regained consciousness
– The person injures themselves during
the seizure
– If you think this is the person’s first
seizure or if you are not sure
After a Seizure – What to expect
and what to do
• What to expect:
– The person may be groggy and tired
– They may be confused, embarrassed or
disoriented
– They may have and complain of a
headache
• What to do:
–
–
–
–
Be patient with the person
Assure them everything is alright
Try to make them comfortable
Try to question the person about any
areas that might hurt them; to get an
idea if there has been an injury during
the seizure
What to do for a NonConvulsive Seizure
• Recognizing the non-convulsive seizure
– This might be hard because non-convulsive
seizure can appear in many different ways.
The person may walk aimlessly, make odd
gestures, mumble, or perform other odd and
uncustomary acts
• What to do:
– Remember the person has no control over
their actions at this point
– Remove any dangerous objects from the
person’s path
– Do not try to stop the person from walking,
unless they are in danger.
– Do not shake the person or shout
– Stay with the person until they are
completely alert and over the seizure
To Learn More About Seizure
Disorders you may look at the
following sites:
• This site gives a very good
overall view of Seizure
definitions, descriptions, and
treatments.
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/se
c06/ch085/ch085a.html
All video Information
Provided through:
Suite 308
1 Promenade Circle
Thornhill, Ontario
Canada
L4J 4P8
info@epilepsyontario.org