Epilepsy can be referred to such a chronic condition which is a result of seizures, abnormal electrical activity and brief in the brain further leading to involuntary body movements, behaviours, sensations or awareness. Parenting grows complex if a child suffers from epilepsy and the situation is equally challenging for other people who take care of such children. They need to address the normal and emotional concerns of the child that arise while dealing with their disease every day.

Children with epilepsy tend to develop emotional problems relating to their self-esteem, frustration or depression. In such a situation, a positive attitude always helps these children. No matter how many restrictions are put by the disease, a special child should always be able to make the best use of his or her abilities. He or she should not only be encouraged to take part in most of the activities but should also be made able to accept the fact that they are differently-normal. And deal with them accordingly.
Besides teachers, support staff also work towards the betterment of differently-abled children. Keeping their importance in the rehabilitation of students in mind, Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN), a special school for mentally disabled, organised a training workshop for its support staff. The workshop was organized to train the staff and equip them to deal with disabilities of the students. The workshop also highlighted the role of parents who play an important part in shaping up the life of their epileptic child as far as the future and care is concerned.

Keep the Family in Loop
Philanthropy must begin at home and the family should be compassionate towards the needs of these children. Nobody knows a child better than his / her family. It is the most comfortable space a special child is in. So, naturally, the family is always well-acquainted with a special child’s situation and thus, knows the way to deal with him or her. If the child has been put on medication, parents know the correct schedule and dosage of medicines as well as their potential side-effects.
As it is said that prevention is the best cure, the support staff present at the school was advised to work together with parents leading to an improvement in the condition of a child and to prevent the situation from turning severe. The facilitator at the workshop and the Head of Department of the Occupational Therapy Wing at the special school for mentally retarded, Miss Namita Singh kicked-off the discussion by throwing light on what-to-do when a seizure erupts.

Workshop Highlights
While delivering a lecture, she gave some guidelines that come handy in times of handling seizure attacks. For instance, it is better not to interfere in any way possible when a child experiences a sudden seizure attack. A classroom act was put up to show that in times of distress, the child should be turned on his or her side to help with breathing. Doctors also suggest protecting his or her head by placing a pillow or anything soft underneath. But the first and foremost thing to follow is to loosen the clothes worn by the student so that his or her movements are not constricted.
In such conditions, putting anything in the child’s mouth is prohibited and sharp objects are to be kept out of the reach. Know when is the time to call an ambulance or seek any medical help. This step could be taken if a child gets another seizure within an interval of five minutes or the attack is severe or if the child becomes unresponsive after fits.

Lessons from Audio-Visual Aids
Before inviting questions on the topic, a video was shown to the entire support staff at MBCN to explain the do’s and don’ts when a student gets seizures. The video demonstrates the reaction of a group of people when their friend suddenly gets an epileptic seizure. They define the situation through ACTION (Assess, Cushion, Time, Identity, Over, Never). By assess, the support staff is required to figure out if the student is prone to danger due to any object placed in the vicinity. Then an immediate act could be to cushion their head for avoiding head injuries. Keep the record of time and be ready to call an ambulance if the problem persists beyond five minutes.
It may be possible that the child must have been carrying a medical ID card of his or her doctor or could be having medicines in the bag. Let the paramedics know about the medication that the child has been put on. In absence of any such thing of the sort, call the parents instead. It is better to refrain from taking any step till parental guidance or advice is sought. After the seizure, the student should be put on his or her side in the position of recovery. A bit of reassurance may help them come around. As they recover, never give them anything to eat or drink.

Not just the first-aid measures, help from parents may also do wonders. Staying in touch with the parents gives an idea about the extent of the disease, the duration of the seizures that the child goes through, the situational behaviour and its aftermath, identification of an attack, when to seek medical supervision etc.

‘Keep calm’ was the key takeaway of this workshop. The participants, through demonstrations were taught how to stay patient and not to panic during the times of emergency as the efforts work when the mind works.
The workshop was a huge success in empowering the support staff on how to deal with an epileptic child in the emergency hour. It also carried forward a message for all the special schools for mentally challenged in India to understand a student’s special needs better and help them in emergency need.