Absence seizures can look very different from the dramatic stiffening and jerking you may associate with a seizure. Your child may suddenly stop what they are doing, stare blankly and become briefly unaware of what is happening before returning to their activity within seconds, often without realising anything happened.
Because these episodes are so brief, you may mistake them for daydreaming, poor concentration or not listening, and a teacher may notice the pattern first. Childhood absence epilepsy typically begins between about four and ten years of age, and recognising repeated episodes is important because they can interrupt learning and everyday activities.
Key Takeaways
- Absence seizures usually cause brief, sudden interruptions in awareness rather than falling or prolonged shaking.
- Your child may stare, stop speaking or pause an activity and then immediately continue as if nothing happened.
- Childhood absence epilepsy most commonly begins between about four and ten years of age.
- Repeated staring spells can be mistaken for daydreaming, poor concentration or not listening.
- NICE recommends urgent referral when a child has discrete episodes of loss of awareness or vacant spells during an activity.
- EEG can support the diagnosis, and supervised hyperventilation may help reveal characteristic electrical changes.
- Ethosuximide is the NICE first-choice medicine when absence seizures occur on their own.
What Is an Absence Seizure?
An absence seizure is a brief epileptic seizure that causes a temporary interruption in your child’s awareness. Rather than collapsing or shaking, your child may suddenly stop interacting with you or their surroundings for a few seconds before the seizure ends just as quickly.
During this brief period, your child is not deliberately ignoring you, as abnormal electrical activity temporarily disrupts their awareness. They will often continue with what they were doing afterwards and may not remember the episode, which is why repeated staring spells can be easy to overlook.
What Does an Absence Seizure Look Like?
The most noticeable sign is usually a sudden blank stare, with your child briefly stopping what they are doing, such as speaking, reading, eating or completing schoolwork. The episode is usually very brief, often lasting only a few seconds, sometimes with rapid blinking or small eyelid or facial movements before your child immediately continues what they were doing.
Your child’s eyes may remain open, which can make the episode look like ordinary daydreaming, but their awareness is temporarily affected. Unlike some other seizures, an absence seizure usually does not cause prolonged confusion afterwards, so your child may return to talking, writing or playing almost immediately.
How Are Absence Seizures Different from Daydreaming?
Occasionally staring into space is a normal part of childhood, so it does not automatically mean your child has epilepsy. A child who is daydreaming can usually respond when you call their name or get their attention, whereas your child may be temporarily unable to respond normally during an absence seizure.
Daydreaming often develops gradually when your child is tired, bored or distracted, while an absence seizure usually starts and ends suddenly. If these brief episodes happen repeatedly throughout the day, make a note of what you observe and discuss them with a healthcare professional rather than trying to diagnose the cause yourself.
Absence Seizure or Daydreaming: What Might You Notice?
| Feature | Absence seizure | Daydreaming/distraction |
| Beginning | Usually starts suddenly | Often develops more gradually |
| Responsiveness | Your child may temporarily not respond normally | Your child can usually be brought back to attention |
| Duration | Usually very brief | May continue for longer |
| Ending | Usually stops suddenly | Attention generally returns more gradually |
| Frequency | May happen repeatedly, sometimes many times a day | Usually depends on tiredness, boredom or distraction |
| Afterwards | Your child may immediately continue what they were doing | Your child may be aware that they were distracted |
These differences can provide clues, but they cannot confirm a diagnosis, so repeated or concerning staring spells should be medically assessed.
What Other Signs Can Parents Easily Miss?
Staring is the most recognisable sign of an absence seizure, but your child may also have subtle movements during the brief loss of awareness. You might notice repeated blinking or eyelid fluttering, small movements around the mouth or face, or simple repetitive actions that appear purposeful.
Because these signs can last only a few seconds, you may not notice them unless you are watching closely. Your child may also have no awareness that the episode happened, so if they repeatedly seem not to hear you during sudden staring spells, it is worth discussing this with a healthcare professional.
Why Might Teachers Notice Absence Seizures First?
Your child’s teacher may be among the first people to notice repeated absence seizures because they spend long periods observing activities that require sustained attention. Your child might suddenly stop writing, miss part of an instruction or pause during an activity for several seconds while appearing unaware of what is happening.
These episodes can easily be mistaken for daydreaming, poor concentration or a lack of effort, particularly when there are no falls or obvious jerking movements. If a teacher repeatedly notices sudden staring and a lack of response, sharing this information with you and your child’s healthcare professional can help identify a pattern that may otherwise be missed.
Clinical Tip
If you or your child’s teacher notices repeated staring episodes, keep a simple record of when they occur, roughly how long they last, what your child was doing immediately beforehand and whether they responded when spoken to. Noting whether your child immediately resumes the activity afterwards can also help the medical team identify a consistent pattern.
Can Absence Seizures Affect Your Child’s Learning?
Although an absence seizure may last only a few seconds, frequent episodes can interrupt your child’s learning throughout the school day. They may briefly lose awareness during an explanation, miss a few words or steps and then continue without realising that they have missed anything.
This can sometimes look like forgetfulness, poor concentration or difficulty understanding new work, even when your child may otherwise have typical development and general thinking abilities. If teachers understand that seizures may be causing these interruptions, they can provide appropriate support rather than assuming your child is deliberately ignoring instructions.
Evidence Note
Research suggests that learning difficulties in childhood absence epilepsy may involve more than simply missing a few seconds of a lesson. In one study, 36% of children had attention difficulties before treatment despite otherwise generally intact thinking abilities, and some attention problems continued even when seizures were controlled. This is why ongoing feedback from parents and teachers can remain important after treatment begins.
At What Age Do Absence Seizures Usually Begin?
Typical childhood absence epilepsy most often begins during the early school years, usually between about four and ten years of age, although onset can occur across a wider age range. This can make absence seizures difficult to spot because brief lapses in attention may initially be mistaken for ordinary classroom behaviour.
Absence seizures can also occur in other epilepsy syndromes, so the age they begin and whether your child has other types of seizures can help doctors identify the most likely cause. You do not need to work out the diagnosis yourself; simply describe the repeated episodes you have noticed and arrange appropriate medical assessment.
What Causes Childhood Absence Epilepsy?
Childhood absence epilepsy is considered a genetic generalised epilepsy syndrome, meaning genetic factors can make your child more susceptible to absence seizures. This does not necessarily mean that epilepsy was directly passed down from one parent, so your child can develop the condition even when there is no family history.
Children with typical childhood absence epilepsy generally have typical early development and a normal neurological examination, although attention or learning difficulties can occur. Structural brain abnormalities are not usually the cause of childhood absence epilepsy. Nothing you did as a parent caused these seizures, and understanding that they are neurological rather than behavioural can help you and your child’s school respond to them appropriately.
How Are Absence Seizures Diagnosed?
Diagnosis usually starts with a detailed description of what happens during your child’s episodes, including how suddenly the staring begins, how long it lasts, whether they respond when spoken to and how often it happens. Your child’s doctor may also ask about subtle movements, such as eyelid fluttering, and whether they return to normal immediately afterwards or seem confused.
If epilepsy is suspected, NICE recommends considering a routine EEG to record your child’s brain activity and help support the diagnosis and identify the type of epilepsy. A safely recorded video of an episode may also be useful, but it cannot confirm epilepsy on its own, so diagnosis should be based on your child’s history, examination and appropriate investigations.
UK Guidance Note
NICE recommends urgent specialist assessment when a child has discrete episodes of loss of awareness or vacant spells during an activity. After a first suspected seizure, your child should be seen by a clinician with expertise in epilepsy within two weeks. A 12-lead ECG is also recommended to help identify heart-related conditions that can sometimes resemble seizures. If an EEG is requested after a first seizure, it should ideally be performed within 72 hours. A normal EEG does not automatically rule out epilepsy, so the result must be considered alongside your child’s history and clinical assessment.
Why Is Hyperventilation Sometimes Used During an EEG?
During an EEG, your child may be asked to breathe deeply and repeatedly for a short period, known as hyperventilation. This can help reveal characteristic electrical changes linked to typical absence seizures, as hyperventilation can provoke these changes and sometimes an absence seizure during supervised testing.
If an absence seizure occurs during the EEG, clinicians can compare your child’s symptoms with the brain activity being recorded at the same time, which can provide useful diagnostic information. You should not try to make your child hyperventilate at home, as suspected seizures should be assessed safely in a controlled clinical setting.
Could Something Other Than Epilepsy Cause Staring Episodes?
Yes, staring on its own does not mean that your child is having absence seizures, as they may stare when daydreaming, tired, distracted or concentrating. Other attention, behavioural or neurological factors can also make your child seem briefly disengaged, so doctors look at the overall pattern.
Episodes that start and stop suddenly, follow the same pattern each time or temporarily prevent your child from responding should be medically assessed. This helps avoid assuming that repeated staring is simply inattention or, equally, that every lapse in concentration is epilepsy.
How Are Absence Seizures Treated?
If your child has confirmed absence seizures, anti-seizure medicine is usually the main treatment. NICE recommends ethosuximide as the first-choice medicine when absence seizures occur on their own.
If ethosuximide is not successful, your child’s specialist may consider medicines such as lamotrigine, levetiracetam or sodium valproate depending on their individual circumstances. If your child also has other seizure types, the first-choice treatment may differ because the medicine needs to control those seizures as well. Sodium valproate has specific UK safety restrictions because of important reproductive risks. In patients under 55, it should only be started when two specialists independently agree that there is no other effective or tolerated treatment, or there are compelling reasons why the reproductive risks do not apply.
How Will You Know Whether Treatment Is Working?
Because absence seizures can be very subtle, treatment response is often assessed by whether the brief staring episodes reduce or stop. Keeping a seizure diary and asking teachers to report any suspicious episodes can help your child’s specialist see whether treatment is controlling the seizures.
You may also notice that your child follows conversations and classroom instructions more easily. Do not change or stop their medicine without medical advice, and tell their specialist if you continue to notice repeated staring episodes despite treatment.
What Should Teachers Do During an Absence Seizure?
A brief absence seizure usually does not require the same first aid as a convulsive seizure, as your child usually does not fall or have prolonged convulsive movements and often returns to awareness quickly. Stay calm, note roughly how long it lasts and give them a moment to reconnect, as they may not realise they have missed part of a conversation or lesson.
Teachers may need to repeat instructions rather than asking your child to pay attention, as the interruption was not voluntary. Make sure everyone caring for your child understands their individual seizure plan, particularly if they also experience other seizure types that require different first-aid measures.
Can Your Child Still Live a Normal, Active Life?
For many children, absence epilepsy does not stop them from enjoying school, friendships, hobbies and family life. You may feel protective after the diagnosis, but unnecessary restrictions can affect your child’s confidence and independence.
Many children can remain active, but some activities need sensible safety precautions. Swimming and water sports should be appropriately supervised, while cycling near traffic, climbing and other activities where a brief loss of awareness could cause injury may need additional precautions based on your child’s seizure control.
Myth vs Fact
| Myth | Fact |
| Absence seizures always involve shaking. | No. Your child may simply stop what they are doing and stare for a few seconds. |
| A child who stares is definitely having an absence seizure. | No. Daydreaming, tiredness, distraction and other conditions can also cause staring episodes. |
| My child is deliberately ignoring me during an absence seizure. | No. Awareness is temporarily disrupted, so your child may be unable to respond normally. |
| Because absence seizures are brief, they cannot affect schoolwork. | Frequent episodes can repeatedly interrupt lessons and may affect learning and attention. |
| A normal EEG means my child definitely does not have epilepsy. | No. NICE advises that a normal routine EEG should not be used by itself to exclude epilepsy. |
| Once seizures stop, medication can be stopped. | No. Never reduce or stop your child’s anti-seizure medicine without specialist advice. |
Do Children Grow Out of Absence Seizures?
Many children with childhood absence epilepsy eventually stop having absence seizures, although the outlook varies from one child to another. Your child’s specialist will consider their epilepsy syndrome, response to treatment and whether they experience any other seizure types when discussing what to expect.
Even if the seizures appear to have stopped, medication should not be reduced or stopped suddenly without medical advice. With the right diagnosis, treatment and school support, recognising the previously subtle staring episodes can make everyday life much easier for your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an absence seizure in a child?
An absence seizure is a brief epileptic seizure that temporarily affects your child’s awareness. Your child may suddenly stop what they are doing, stare blankly and become unresponsive for a few seconds before quickly returning to normal.
2. What does an absence seizure look like?
Your child may suddenly stare into space and stop speaking, reading, eating or carrying out an activity. You may also notice rapid blinking, eyelid fluttering or small facial movements, but there is usually no falling or prolonged shaking.
3. How can you tell an absence seizure from daydreaming?
A child who is daydreaming can usually respond when you call their name or get their attention, whereas your child may not respond normally during an absence seizure. Absence seizures also tend to begin and end suddenly and may happen repeatedly throughout the day.
4. At what age do absence seizures usually start?
Childhood absence epilepsy most commonly begins between around four and ten years of age. However, absence seizures can occur as part of other epilepsy syndromes, so your child’s age and other symptoms will help doctors determine the likely diagnosis.
5. Can absence seizures affect your child’s learning?
Yes. Frequent brief seizures can cause your child to miss parts of lessons, instructions or conversations without realising what they have missed. This can sometimes be mistaken for poor concentration, daydreaming or difficulty learning.
6. How are absence seizures diagnosed?
Your child’s doctor will ask about the episodes, including how suddenly they start, how long they last, whether your child responds and how quickly they return to normal. An EEG is commonly used to record your child’s brain activity and can help support the diagnosis by identifying electrical patterns associated with absence seizures.
7. Why is hyperventilation used during an EEG for absence seizures?
Breathing deeply and repeatedly for a short time can sometimes trigger the characteristic electrical activity associated with typical absence seizures. This is carried out under clinical supervision during an EEG, so you should not try to make your child hyperventilate at home.
8. How are absence seizures treated in children?
Anti-seizure medicine is usually used when absence seizures are confirmed. NICE recommends ethosuximide as the first-choice treatment when absence seizures occur on their own, although your child’s specialist may consider other medicines depending on their individual circumstances.
9. What should your child’s teacher do during an absence seizure?
Your child’s teacher should stay calm, allow the brief episode to finish and give your child a moment to reconnect afterwards. They may need to repeat part of an instruction or lesson because your child may not realise they missed it. The school should also follow any individual seizure plan provided for your child.
10. Do children grow out of absence seizures?
Many children with childhood absence epilepsy eventually stop having absence seizures, although the outlook varies. Your child’s specialist will consider their epilepsy syndrome, response to treatment and whether they have other types of seizures when discussing their long-term outlook.
Final Thoughts: Recognising the Signs of Absence Seizures
Absence seizures can be easy to mistake for daydreaming or poor concentration, particularly when the episodes last only a few seconds. If you notice repeated staring spells, brief periods when your child does not respond or subtle movements such as eyelid fluttering, arranging a medical assessment can help you understand what is happening and ensure your child receives appropriate support.
If your child needs specialist support and you are looking for children’s epilepsy treatment in London, you can contact us at London Paediatric Clinic for support.
References:
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2022, updated 2026) Epilepsies in children, young people and adults. NICE guideline NG217. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng217
- NHS (2025) Epilepsy. Page last reviewed: 6 March 2025. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/
- Hirsch, E., French, J., Scheffer, I.E. et al. (2022) ‘ILAE definition of the Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy Syndromes: Position statement by the ILAE Task Force on Nosology and Definitions’, Epilepsia, 63(6), pp. 1475–1499. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35503716/
- Kessler, S.K. and McGinnis, E. (2019) ‘A practical guide to treatment of childhood absence epilepsy’, Paediatric Drugs, 21(1), pp. 15–24. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30734897/
- Carmant, L., Kramer, U., Holmes, G.L., Mikati, M.A., Riviello, J.J. and Helmers, S.L. (1996) ‘Differential diagnosis of staring spells in children: A video-EEG study’, Pediatric Neurology, 14(3), pp. 199–202. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8736402/
- Rozenblat, T., Kraus, D., Mahajnah, M., Goldberg-Stern, H. and Watemberg, N. (2020) ‘Absence seizure provocation during routine EEG: Does position of the child during hyperventilation affect the diagnostic yield?’, Seizure, 79, pp. 86–89. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32446208/
- Glauser, T.A., Cnaan, A., Shinnar, S. et al. (2010) ‘Ethosuximide, valproic acid, and lamotrigine in childhood absence epilepsy’, The New England Journal of Medicine, 362(9), pp. 790–799. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20200383/
- Masur, D., Shinnar, S., Cnaan, A. et al. (2013) ‘Pretreatment cognitive deficits and treatment effects on attention in childhood absence epilepsy’, Neurology, 81(18), pp. 1572–1580. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24089388/
- Berg, A.T., Levy, S.R., Testa, F.M. and Blumenfeld, H. (2014) ‘Long-term seizure remission in childhood absence epilepsy: Might initial treatment matter?’, Epilepsia, 55(4), pp. 551–557. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24512528/
- Brigo, F., Igwe, S.C. and Lattanzi, S. (2021) ‘Ethosuximide, sodium valproate or lamotrigine for absence seizures in children and adolescents’, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, article CD003032. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33475151/