The following procedures are being given to you in the event that a student or campus community member experiences a seizure in your presence. The CDC information and instructions to follow during a seizure are outlined below. Please contact the ACCESS department if you have any disability-related questions about how to respond to an emergency in the classroom.

Recommended Guidance for Aiding a Person Experiencing a Seizure

In the event anyone experiences a seizure while on campus, SIUE employees and supervisors are obligated to call 911. In the event the individual experiencing a seizure event is able to refuse transport by emergency medical personnel when they arrive, they can waive this service. However, most employees of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are not medical personnel, so in the event of a medical episode such as a seizure, always do what is best for the student and call 911. 

For individuals with a known seizure condition, hospitalization usually is not necessary following an event. Most first time seizures will require hospitalization and evaluation.

What is a Seizure?

A seizure is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that usually affects how a person feels or acts for a short time. Some seizures can hardly be noticed, while others are totally disabling. 

Individuals may be aware when a seizure with convulsions is coming on. The seizures may last from 1 to 3 minutes, and consciousness returns slowly. Afterwards, they may be drowsy, confused, agitated, or depressed when it's over.

Some have seizures that are difficult to notice. They may "blank out" anywhere from a few seconds to 20 seconds at a time. During the seizure, the individual won't be able to hear you, may blink repetitively, make chewing movements, or just stare. They may be completely alert following this kind of seizure.

What to do before a Seizure?

• Listen carefully to the information that the student shares.
• Identify a place where the student could rest after a seizure, if one occurs. 

What to do during a Seizure?

• Keep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby
• Stay with the person until the seizure ends and they are fully awake. There are many types of seizures. Most seizures end in a few minutes. 

These are general steps to help someone who is having any type seizure: 

• Stay with the person until the seizure ends and they are fully awake. After it ends, help the person sit in a safe place. Once they are alert and able to communicate, tell them what happened in very simple terms. 
• Comfort the person and speak calmly. 
• Check to see if the person is wearing a medical bracelet or other emergency information. 
• Offer to call a taxi or another person to make sure the person gets home safely.

First Aid for Generalized Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal) Seizures 

When most people think of a seizure, they think of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, also called a grand mal seizure. In this type of seizure, the person may cry out, fall, shake or jerk, and become unaware of what’s going on around them. 

Here are things you can do to help someone who is having this type of seizure: 

• Ease the person to the floor. 
• Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help the person breathe. 
• Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp. This can prevent injury. 
• Put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under their head. 
• Remove eyeglasses. 
• Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe. 

STOP! DO NOT… 

Knowing what NOT to do is important for keeping a person safe during or after a seizure.  Never do any of the following things 

• Do not hold the person down or try to stop their movements. 
• Do not put anything in the person’s mouth. This can injure teeth or the jaw. A person having a seizure cannot swallow his or her tongue. 
• Do not try to give mouth-to-mouth breaths (like CPR). People usually start breathing again on their own after a seizure. 
• Do not offer the person water or food until they are fully alert.