One percent of all children will have at least one seizure by the age of 14, Palat said. About half of those children will develop epilepsy.
Symptoms of a seizure vary in infants, children and adults. In children, symptoms can include blank staring, excessive chewing motions, confused speech and the body shaking or jerking.
In babies, symptoms include clusters of quick and sudden movements that begin between the ages of 3 months and 2 years, according to the Epilepsy Foundation North/Central Illinois, Iowa & Nebraska. Also, if an infant is sitting, his head will fall forward; if lying down, his knees will be drawn up and his arms and head flex forward.
Most single, brief seizures do not cause long-term problems, but Palat said prolonged seizures can be dangerous and life-threatening.
It is important for parents to contact their child's primary care provider to determine the cause of a seizure and whether more testing or treatment is needed, she said. Tests can include an electroencephalogram, or EEG, which traces the electrical activity of the brain, or an MRI.
The causes of seizures can include head injury, illness or high fever. In some cases, Palat said, a cause is never found.
