Information for colleges and universities

The impact of seizures depends on what the seizures are like and how often they happen. If seizures are controlled with medication, or if the seizures do not affect consciousness they may have little or no impact on the person at all. 

It may be helpful to plan ahead with the student about what to do if they have a seizure during classes or lectures, so they don’t feel they will be taken out of class unnecessarily. 

Some people recover quickly from a seizure and they may be able to stay and carry on straight away. Other people may feel very tired or confused and they may need to find a suitable place to go to where they can take time to recover from the seizure.

The ability to take on, store, and retrieve information can be affected. This could happen with any type of seizure, and if the person has a lot of seizures, this could affect their memory more often. They may also find that, just after a seizure, they have problems remembering information and it may take time to recover. Memory aids and techniques, or having a note taker, may help if this is possible.

Concentration can be affected both during the seizure and while the person is coming around. If this happens during classes or lectures, they may not be able to concentrate on what is being said or on taking notes. 

Concentration can also be affected by how they feel. If they feel low or tired because of seizures, they may not be able to concentrate well. 

They may find it easier to study at certain times of the day when they are more able to concentrate. Making allowances for this can help to support the student.

The effects of a seizure depend on the seizure type. Some seizures may not affect the person physically. Other seizures may cause them to behave strangely during the seizure with no physical effect afterwards.

Seizures that cause people to fall down and lose consciousness may cause injuries. It may be helpful to think about seating arrangements in lecture theatres or tutor rooms. 

Tonic clonic seizures, where the person loses consciousness and shakes, can take a long time to recover from, sometimes days. These seizures can cause muscle aches, headaches, and feeling exhausted for a long time. If a person has a seizure like this, it can be very disruptive for them and they may need to go somewhere quiet to recover, or they may need medical assistance.

Seizures at night can affect the amount and quality of sleep and may have a big impact on the person and their daily activities. An alarm to alert someone else that a seizure has happened at night may be useful.

Some seizures can affect the person’s mood or emotions and the way they feel can affect, and be affected, by their seizures. If they feel stressed or anxious this can affect their concentration and memory and could cause more seizures if they are a trigger for them.

About 70% of people with epilepsy could have their seizures fully controlled with anti-seizure medication (ASM). But any form of treatment can have an impact.

ASM does not cure epilepsy. It works on the brain to stop seizures from happening and it can also have side effects that affect how the brain works. This can make the person tired or drowsy and can affect how they think and process information, or it can affect memory.

For some people, having brain surgery can help reduce or stop seizures, but surgery itself can potentially cause problems, particularly with memory.

Seizures can affect exams in many ways. For many people, revision for, and sitting, exams is worrying and stressful. This could cause more seizures if stress is a trigger for a student with epilepsy. 

If having epilepsy affects their memory and thinking speed, this might make exams more challenging than for other students. 

Having a seizure before an exam might mean that they are too tired to take the exam or do their best during the exam. 

Having a seizure during an exam could mean that they miss some or all of the exam. 

Planning ahead might be helpful. If exams may be a problem for an individual, special provisions may help. For example, being able to take their exams in a separate room, having more time to complete the exam, or having someone to write for them during the exam might be helpful. 

Preparing a revision schedule might also help them to revise at the best time of day for them, when they feel most alert and able to concentrate. Revising somewhere quiet might also help with concentration and memory.

Having support and a plan in place might help to make them feel more confident about revising.

What consideration is needed depends on the work. For example, practical work in a laboratory could have safety implications if the person with epilepsy had a seizure. 

Courses that include physical activities might need consideration so that they can be made safer for the individual to participate. 

It is important to be realistic about potential risks. If the person has a warning before a seizure, this might give them enough time to get to a safe place before it starts. Many situations can be made safer with simple measures, and it might help to talk this through with the student to ensure that their epilepsy does not unnecessarily restrict what they do.

Courses that include placements may need additional consideration. Support may be in place for a student while they are at their course, but will similar support be  available at their placements?

Getting in touch with the placement as early as possible might help to reassure them, and the individual with epilepsy, that appropriate support is in place throughout the course and placement. 

It is important to be realistic about whether an individual’s epilepsy might affect their placement. But it is also important to look at ways of making the placement safer, if necessary, so that the student can get the most out of the experience and is not unnecessarily restricted on their placements. 

Some people may not be able to drive because of their epilepsy, so transport to a placement may need to be considered.

Having information on your website about what help and support you offer to students with epilepsy will help to encourage them to disclose their epilepsy and discuss their options. This also shows that you are aware of the support needs that students with epilepsy might have, and that you understand that this help needs to be individualised to each new student’s own situation.

• Make sure that your disability equality scheme is up to date and complies with the Equality Act (see below).
• Ensure students and potential students know about it, and can find out further information in different ways: your website, the admissions office, the students’ union, and any disabled student support services.
• Make sure your messages are clear and consistent.
• List all the types of help and support which are available to students, including practical and financial support, such as Disabled Student Allowance, and tell them how to access this.

Colleges and universities also have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to support any students with disabilities.

Because epilepsy varies from one person to another, a reasonable adjustment appropriate for an individual depends on how their epilepsy affects them. An example may be giving a student with epilepsy more time to complete a piece of coursework. 

Another reasonable adjustment may be consideration about accommodation. Does the student need a room on the ground floor to avoid the risks around having a seizure on the stairs? Might it be possible to provide an alarm to alert someone if the student has a seizure in their room?

If the student can’t drive because of their epilepsy, might they need accommodation close to the college or university buildings?

In some cases, a formal risk assessment is needed to identify the risks and solutions or reasonable adjustments. The important point to remember is that epilepsy varies from one person to another. 

Talking through these issues with the individual is useful to identify problems, and to start looking for ways to address and resolve any potential problems.

Usually a seizure will stop by itself. Sometimes this does not happen and a seizure is very long or one seizure happens after another without the person recovering in between. If this carries on for five minutes or more, it is called status epilepticus (or ‘status’).

Status is not common, but can happen in any type of seizure and the person may need to see a doctor. 

Status in a tonic clonic seizure (where the person loses consciousness and shakes) is a medical emergency and an ambulance needs to be called immediately. If a tonic clonic seizure goes on for 30 minutes or more, this could cause lasting damage to the brain, or even death.

Emergency medication may need to be given to stop the seizure. Anyone giving emergency medication needs to be trained. The student with epilepsy should have their own written protocol about when to give it, for the person giving the medication to follow.

Epilepsy Society provides training on epilepsy awareness, seizure management, and administering emergency medication.  

On rare occasions people die suddenly for no clear reason. When this happens to someone with epilepsy it may be called sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (or ‘SUDEP’).

Because SUDEP often happens when the person is asleep and is not witnessed, it is hard to be sure why it happens.

SUDEP is relatively rare. But everyone’s individual level of risk may depend on their epilepsy, lifestyle, any conditions they have alongside epilepsy, and other factors, such as their age and sex.

Students who have seizures at night may find it reassuring to have an alarm to alert someone if they have a seizure.