It is very important for parents to inform their child’s teachers and principal, and other school officials about their child’s epilepsy. This will help to ensure that teachers and fellow students will be prepared to deal with a seizure, should one occur. The teacher’s attitude about epilepsy influences not only the child’s self-perception but also the attitude of his/her peers.

Parents should encourage teachers to discuss any of their concerns regarding the child’s disorder. It is especially important for parents to speak to the child’s physical education teacher and express any limitations they feel their child may have. Safety is always the priority, but all children must have some involvement in physical education for normal development.

It is very important for teachers to recognize seizures and know the proper first aid treatment for any child who experiences a seizure. The manner in which seizure are handled should be consistent at home and school. Teachers should contact parents for information as well, and keep parents informed about their child’s condition.

When teachers and the school are prepared to deal with seizures, classroom disruption will be minimal and less attention will be brought onto the child with epilepsy.

It is important for teachers to know if a student has epilepsy. Teachers should have a basic understanding of epilepsy, how to manage epilepsy, its effects on the child’s emotional, social and physical development, and its effects on learning. If teachers can understand the stresses, which are placed on the child with epilepsy and his/her family, they may be able to better understand how epilepsy affects the student’s learning, social skills, emotional development, etc.

Parents are the best source of information regarding their child’s epilepsy and how their child copes with it. Teachers should encourage the parents of the child with epilepsy to provide as much information as they can. This will help the teacher have greater insight into dealing with the child with epilepsy. Unfortunately, some parents feel that teachers will be insensitive when dealing with their child’s condition or that, discovering their child has a condition such as epilepsy, other students will tease their child. This can be very detrimental.

Confidentiality

Teachers should reassure parents regarding any concerns they raise and discuss how confidential information will be safeguarded. Parents and teachers should come to an agreement regarding what and how much information will be relayed to other teachers and their child’s classmates. The parents may need time to open up. This is understandable as parents are very protective of their children and their children’s rights.

When teachers have a student with epilepsy in their classroom, they should contact the child’s parents before doing a class presentation on epilepsy. Parents should be informed about what the teacher intends to cover and parents should be encouraged to discuss any concerns that they might have. Teachers should also consider including the child with epilepsy in the planning or presentation if the student and his/her parents agree.

If the child does not want to reveal epilepsy, those wishes must be respected. The teacher may want to introduce the topic of epilepsy to the class without referring to the child with epilepsy, as a general discussion of chronic health problems.

If there is a student with epilepsy in the class, the teacher should introduce the students to epilepsy and discuss it. It may not be necessary to refer to the actual child in your class who has epilepsy. This decision should be made in consultation with the parents and the child.

If the child denies having seizures or gets upset, the teacher should respond with understanding of the child’s feelings. If it seems difficult to continue a discussion with the child, the subject should be left for a while. The teacher can bring it up later or wait until the child raises the subject.

Teachers play a central role in the acceptance and self-development of the child who has seizures. When teaching your class about epilepsy, keep the following points in mind.

• Emphasize that epilepsy is not a disease.
• Explain that epilepsy is not contagious.
• Avoid using the word “epileptic.” Instead, use the term “child with epilepsy.”
• Avoid using “Grand mal” and “Petit mal” to describe seizures, as these terms are outdated. Instead use “tonic clonic” and “absence.”
• Avoid using the word “fit to describe a seizure.
• Keep in mind that the emotional and educational needs of a child with epilepsy are essentially the same as for other children.

Expand Primary classes SectionPrimary classes

Expand Junior/Intermediate classes SectionJunior/Intermediate classes

Expand General guidelines for educating students about epilepsy SectionGeneral guidelines for educating students about epilepsy

• Maximize the amount of instruction time that the student with epilepsy receives by keeping the child in the classroom if possible. (The child may be able to just listen for awhile or participate in easier tasks.)
• Try to make the child’s experience as “normal” as possible.
• The range of intelligence is the same for children with or without epilepsy.
• Children don’t require special education simply because they have epilepsy. Some children with epilepsy may require special education just as some children without epilepsy may require special education.
• Some neurological disorders that cause epilepsy may also cause learning difficulties.
• Often when a child with epilepsy is not experiencing a seizure, there is still some seizure activity going on in segments of the brain, which can alter the child’s thought processes or alter the child’s mood. These fluctuations in brain function can’t always be controlled with treatment.
• Side effects of the child’s anti-epileptic medications may affect brain functions leading to lack of concentration, mood changes, drowsiness or hyperactivity.
• The type of seizure a child has can affect the child’s memory or the way patterns, shapes, numbers or letters are perceived.
• The number of seizures that a child has can influence the learning process by causing him/her to miss parts of the lesson.

How teachers make a difference

Young people with serious health conditions are significantly at risk for psychosocial adjustment problems when compared with their “healthy” peers. Doctors can help bring the child’s seizures under control, but it is the child’s teachers who can help bring the child’s life under control.

Teachers are in a position to influence the attitudes of future generations. How teachers relate to the child with epilepsy can impact on how the child with epilepsy and his/her classmates feel about epilepsy for the rest of their lives.

Teachers can be very effective in averting any permanent, negative reactions on the part of the other students by displaying calm and open attitudes and behaviour. Teachers must ensure the child with epilepsy feels accepted.

Other children may react by feeling fearful, upset or confused after witnessing a seizure or learning that a classmate has a seizure disorder. These negative feelings may cause the child with epilepsy to be teased or ostracized, and can end up doing more harm than the epilepsy itself. Teachers can help prepare the class regarding what to expect and how to deal with a seizure. This will help the class become less unsettled and more supportive of the child with the epilepsy when s/he experiences a seizure at school.

It is important for parents to work in partnership with the local school to ensure the best possible education for their child. This is particularly true when seizures are not well controlled. Both the parents and the school need to contribute to the partnership.

The school setting is perhaps second only to the family in being an influential social institution for children and youth. School interactions affects the self, play a role in academic achievement and have an enduring impact on later years.