Pediatric Neurology: Talking to Parents about Seizures, Convulsions, and Epilepsy

ParentingU

A seizure sounds like a scary event for any parent to witness in their child, but it’s important to understand that a seizure doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a scary diagnosis in a child’s future. Kenneth Habetz, MD of Our Lady of Lourdes is a pediatric neurologist and has a focus on childhood epilepsy. Dr. Habetz joins us on ParentingU to explain what a seizure is; how they are different to epilepsy; and what to do if your child has a seizure. Many parents have concerns about seizures in children—this episode has a lot of answers.

Childhood Seizure Questions Answered on this Episode

• Does having a seizure mean a child has epilepsy?
• What should I do if my child has a seizure?
• What is a febrile seizure?
• What causes seizures?
• Do kids outgrow seizures?
• Is medication the only treatment for seizures?
• Does sugar cause seizures?
• Why should I video my child having a seizure?

Seizure Resources for You

• Habetz likes some of the resources available on the Epilepsy Foundation website
• If your child is having a seizure, Dr. Habetz says to place the child on their side; DO NOT put anything in their mouth
• Habetz welcomes calls from primary care physicians to discuss pediatric seizures

We hope you enjoy the new season of ParentingU! You can hear all episodes of ParentingU on our website or on your favorite podcast app including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Podcasts. New! Watch videos of our podcast on YouTube: ParentingU playlist.