What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Symptoms of pediatric epilepsy are diverse and vary depending on the type of seizure. During a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, children may suddenly lose consciousness and fall down, sometimes accompanied by a cry, apnea, biting of the lips or tongue, foaming at the mouth, and generalized tonic convulsions; in severe cases, they may even experience urinary or fecal incontinence, though recovery typically occurs within 5 to 10 minutes. Absence seizures are characterized by brief loss of consciousness, staring eyes or upward eye rolling, dazed appearance, and interruption of activities or speech, with relatively short duration. Additionally, partial seizures may involve brief, repetitive twitching or numbness and tingling in one corner of the mouth, eyelid, finger, toe, or one side of the face and extremities. Complex partial seizures resemble absence seizures but last longer and may be associated with various illusions, hallucinations, and unconscious movements.