- You cannot possibly get epilepsy from someone else. And no one else can get it from you.
- Epilepsy did not happen to you because of anything bad that you did, or that anyone in your family did. No one made you have it. It just happened.You cannot hurt anyone during a seizure.
- Seeing something that is not there, or hearing a funny noise that no one else hears or doing something when you seem to be half asleep doesn't mean you are crazy. These things are caused by little seizures that other people can't see.
- Having seizures doesn't mean you are any less smart or intelligent than other people. It doesn't mean you will get less intelligent, either.
- You cannot swallow your tongue during any kind of seizure. It is fastened to the bottom of your mouth.
- You should not put anything in the mouth of a person having a seizure. It may hurt his teeth or his jaw.
- Living a normal, active life, playing sports and having a good time will not make you have more seizures.
If you have epilepsy, remember that it is just part of your life - a few seconds or a few minutes out of all the interesting things you see and do.
And the more things you do, the less important epilepsy will seem to be.
Remember, too, that you are not alone. Thousands of grown ups had seizures when they were young and now have children of their own, work at interesting jobs, and live happy lives.
And you will, too!
Note to parents: This web site is designed to help the average child understand and adjust to seizure disorders. It does not give medical advice and your child's doctor is always the best guide for your child's treatment and level of activity. For other materials on epilepsy, please contact Epilepsy Canada.
Additional information can be found on the KidsProtect website.
Check the AboutKidsHealth website for very useful information