Overview of Education Programs

School Alert and First Aid Training

Children with seizure disorders face unique challenges at school. The seizures -- or the medication which prevents them -- may affect learning, attention, and memory. Having a seizure at school is socially damaging and, unless handled well by staff at all levels, can permanently mark a child as an outcast.

We know, however, that when the school community is well informed and supportive, an entirely different outcome is possible. Which is why the Epilepsy Foundation has for many years sponsored a School Alert program at the community level.

School Alert helps teachers and other staff to recognize seizures, to do the right thing with the right kind of first aid, and to help the other children in the school community be more accepting and understanding of the child with seizures.

The School Alert program is supported by pamphlets, videos, and a new, in-depth first aid training curriculum.

A majority of local Epilepsy Foundations sponsor a special presentation by the Kids on the Block puppet troupe for elementary grades. These colorful, full size puppets demonstrate common child reactions to seizures, correct first aid, and present the child with epilepsy in a positive, accepting way.

Conferences and Seminars

The Epilepsy Foundation, in cooperation with its affiliates, sponsors annual regional conferences to review key issues affecting people with seizures and to share what is being learned about new ways of treating them. Expert speakers explore current thinking and discuss new ways to fight epilepsy's problems. Attendance at these regional conferences is open to all, but the program is designed specifically for people with epilepsy, parents and other caregivers, and providers of health care and social services.

In addition, many local Epilepsy Foundations also hold conferences and seminars throughout the year for people in the local community. These meetings also bring in leading experts to review advances in epilepsy management for professional audiences -- teachers, nurses, social workers, and allied health professionals -- as well as people with epilepsy and parents in the local community.

Police/Emergency Response Training

Police and other law enforcement personnel often fail to recognize the symptoms of epilepsy, especially complex partial seizures that affect a person's awareness and the ability to respond to police direction.

Too often, adults having this kind of seizure are assumed to be drunk or high on drugs, and are treated roughly by law enforcement personnel. Some are even arrested.

Recognizing this, the Epilepsy Foundation and the Police Executive Research Forum worked together to develop "Take Another Look," a training program for law enforcement officers on seizure recognition and appropriate response. This professional education program continues to be offered in many communities.

Similarly, many local Epilepsy Foundations offer seizure management training to emergency medical technicians who may be called upon when a seizure happens in public.

Information & Referral

The Epilepsy Foundation's national office and affiliated Foundations around the country offer people with epilepsy and their families free information about seizures or epilepsy and offer referral to medical and other sources of aid.

To call the national office's toll-free information line, dial (800) 332-1000. For local toll free numbers, check the local Epilepsy Foundation nearest you. Nationwide, more than 30,000 people are helped through this program every year.

Publications, Videos, Books

When someone has seizures, information is part of the treatment. Many unnecessary myths and fears still attach to epilepsy. Accurate, timely information make a big difference and help people cope.

The Epilepsy Foundation offers more than 125 individual pamphlets and other publications directed to specific aspects of living with epilepsy. All our educational materials are reviewed and approved by medical experts and provide up-to-date information for many audiences.

Specific publications and videos available from the Epilepsy Foundation can be purchased online in our Marketplace.

The Foundation also publishes EpilepsyUSA, a full-color magazine focusing on new developments in research, court actions, legislative issues, and the experiences of people of all ages who live with epilepsy. EpilepsyUSA is available by subscription. An abbreviated online edition is also available.

National Epilepsy Library

The National Epilepsy Library, located at the Epilepsy Foundation's national office, has the largest collection of publications and the largest database in the world on the medical and social impact of epilepsy and seizures.

Library staff will do searches of the professional literature on epilepsy -- the articles published in scientific journals and books by leading experts -- on request. Each year, the Library responds to approximately 30,000 inquiries from physicians, scientists, researchers, and the general public.

Epilepsy Awareness Month

Epilepsy Awareness Month takes place in November. This is a period in which the Epilepsy Foundation nationwide works to raise visibility of seizures and seizure disorders, to fight myth and stigma, and to increase public awareness of epilepsy as a matter of national concern.

Epilepsy Awareness Month activities typically include distribution of public service messages for television and radio; community meetings at the local level; seminars open to the public; and fund raising events.

To get involved with Epilepsy Month activities in your community, check with your local Epilepsy Foundation.