{"id":19400,"date":"2025-03-07T15:45:58","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T05:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/?p=19400"},"modified":"2025-03-07T15:46:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T05:16:34","slug":"promoting-epilepsy-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/promoting-epilepsy-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Promoting Epilepsy Awareness &#8211; A Guide for Parents and Educators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are many different epilepsy types and classifications. In Australia, Epilepsy Awareness Month is in March.<\/p>\n<p>Below we explore the types of epilepsy and how educators and parents can support young people with epilepsy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What Causes Epilepsy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many people who are diagnosed with epilepsy will never know what has caused their epilepsy. Epilepsy does not discriminate, and it can affect anyone at any age or stage of their life.<\/p>\n<p>One cause can be brain damage, which can affect cells and the way the brain sends and receives messages, which can then lead to seizures. Other causes can include (not limited to) brain abnormalities present at birth, genetic factors, alcohol or drug abuse, and conditions such as Alzheimer\u2019s, for example.<\/p>\n<p>Determining the cause of epilepsy can influence the types of medications or treatment that may be best to treat that specific type of epilepsy and minimise the occurrence of seizures.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Seizure Triggers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Triggers for epilepsy are not the same as the cause of the epilepsy and they differ from person to person. Some triggers may include missed medication, lack of sleep, stress, heightened emotions, hormonal changes, low blood sugar, and other medications, for example.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Common Seizures<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>Focal-aware seizures \u2014 If a seizure does not impair consciousness and the person has full awareness during the seizure, this is known as a focal-aware<\/i> seizure.<\/li>\n<li><em>Focal seizures impaired awareness\u2014Seizures that cause a <\/em>change in awareness or consciousness are known as focal impaired awareness seizures.<\/li>\n<li><i>Tonic-clonic seizures \u2014 This type of seizure may look different. However, examples include a stiff body, eyes and a head that may turn in one direction, body movements\/shaking, loss of bladder control, loss of consciousness, and falling over<\/i>.<\/li>\n<li><em>Myoclonic Seizures <i>\u2014 <\/i><\/em>A seizure where a single brief muscle jerk or series of jerks occur.<\/li>\n<li><em>Tonic Seizures <i>\u2014<\/i> <\/em>A seizure that involves increased muscle tone (stiffening) of the body and is usually very brief. If the person is standing, they will usually fall to the ground.<\/li>\n<li><em>Atonic seizures <i>\u2014<\/i> <\/em>A type of seizure that involves the loss of muscle tone. Atonic seizures often happen in people with intellectual disabilities or more complex epilepsies.<\/li>\n<li><em>Absence seizures <i>\u2014<\/i> <\/em>These seizures can start and end abruptly, can be very brief with no awareness during the seizure. These types of seizures can often be misinterpreted as daydreaming or inattentiveness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>First Aid for seizures<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Below are some recommendations if someone has a seizure.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Stay calm.<\/li>\n<li>Ensure the person is aware of the danger.<\/li>\n<li>Call an ambulance and\/or call for help.<\/li>\n<li>Loosen tight clothing.<\/li>\n<li>If appropriate and safe, place the person in the recovery position to keep their airways clear.<\/li>\n<li>Time the seizure.<\/li>\n<li>Stay with the person.<\/li>\n<li>Give nothing to eat or drink until the person is fully awake.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Supporting Young People with Epilepsy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is important to encourage and support someone with epilepsy. Reassure them that they are not alone and talk openly about their diagnosis and what it means. Focus on the child\u2019s strengths and reassure them that their epilepsy is not their fault. Encourage playdates and ensure that the responsible adults are aware of the epilepsy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Epilepsy Education <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Epilepsy Action Australia has a national hotline, 1300 374 537, available for parents, caregivers, and educators requiring support. Epilepsy Action Australia facilitates both accredited and non-accredited courses as well as workplace training. Schools can become a \u2018Seizure Smart School\u2019 through Epilepsy Action Australia, a comprehensive program designed to support schools and children with epilepsy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Connecting Teams, Talent &amp; Educators\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thank you for reading our latest blog. If you are a candidate, click to view our\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/jobs\/ac1_Permanent\/\">Permanent Jobs<\/a>\u202for explore our latest\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/jobs\/ac1_temporary\/\">Temporary Opportunities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you are a client looking to find your next\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/employer-recruitment-services\/fill-temporary-and-permanent-jobs-in-early-childhood-education-and-care\/\">permanent or temporary\u202f<\/a>staff member, Entr\u00e9e Early Years can help.\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/employer-recruitment-services\/hire-or-book-early-childhood-staff\/\">Hire or Book<\/a>\u202fEarly Childhood Staff today!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reference<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>www.epilepsy.org.au<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Epilepsy can affect anyone, and understanding its types and triggers is key to providing the right support\u2014especially in early childhood education. As we recognise Epilepsy Awareness Month (March) in Australia, this blog explores different seizure types, first aid tips, and how educators and parents can create a safe and supportive environment for young children with epilepsy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":19404,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19400"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19410,"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19400\/revisions\/19410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/19404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entreeearlyyears.com.au\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}