Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Explaining my epilepsy to my 4 year old son

Sun, 07/06/2014 - 15:29

Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Adults

Hello,

I am trying to find a way to explain to my 4 year old son that I have epilepsy. He has never witnessed me have a seizure in the past. I was given a DVD by Epilepsy Toronto that tries to explain a seizure through the use of animated stick figures. However, the content as a whole seems to be too advanced.

I was hoping that someone could provide me, or point me in the direction of any websites, dvds, books or other materials that I could use to help explain at a 4 or 5 year old level

Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

Eric

Comments

Eric What you are wanting to

Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2014-07-06 - 21:17

Eric What you are wanting to do will not be easy. But then too he could have seizures that you don't see. Absebce seizures are like little day dreams. If I knew where to send you I would have you tried checking out in the learn and get help sections? Or the chat might have someone at times that knows what you are looking for. If your son was older A set of dominoes could be used to show what a seizure is but it does not show what a person.

So have you looked at any

Submitted by Amy Jo on Mon, 2014-07-07 - 02:19

So have you looked at any children's stories that discuss epilepsy? I think stories can help you lay out a foundation to build upon. We read "Lee: the Rabbit with Epilepsy" the other day, there are other kid books out there, it has just been a while.

I have a four year old

Submitted by elizabethaserna@gmail.com on Thu, 2014-07-10 - 21:30

I have a four year old son also. I have had several partial seizures in front of him but I have not yet had a tonic-clonic seizure while he was around. I have told him that a seizure is like when there is a storm in my brain. It doesn't hurt me but it looks scary sometimes. For Tonic-Clonic seizures, I have watched videos of people having seizures on youtube with him (he was curious) so that if it does happen when he is around he won't be too freaked out . I have also taught him how to use my phone to call my husband and my sister if I have a seizure near him and no one is around. I am not sure that he really understands a seizure, but he understands what to do in the event that mommy starts shaking and goes to sleep. I think the harder part for me is explaining the simple partial seizures. I will have days where I have several of these a day and I am exhausted. My son will want to play and have fun but I will feel terrible because of the seizures. It is hard to explain why I do not feel well when it doesn't look like I am sick. I usually explain that I need to rest so I don't have a seizure and that seems to work.Liz

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.