The Seizure Recognition and First Aid Certification program helps individuals understand and recognize types of seizures, identify signs and symptoms of each, learn how to administer first aid when witnessing a seizure and outlines when to call for help.

“We sought to develop the program in-house knowing that Cook Children’s was an ideal venue to demonstrate how a company could institute wide-scale implementation of the Epilepsy Foundation's training to get large numbers of people educated,” said M. Scott Perry, M.D., epileptologist and medical director of Neurology and the Genetic Epilepsy Clinic at Cook Children’s. “Several of our nurses completed the necessary instructor education and, subsequently, took the training and made it an online course available to our staff. We’re encouraging all staff to complete the training in an effort to make Cook Children’s seizure safe.”

Dr. Perry sits on the professional advisory board for the Epilepsy Foundation of America and chairs the Public Health and Education Committee that reviews the course’s content.

About one in 10 people may have a seizure in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Although common, seizures are as varied as the individuals they impact. While some may result in a visible loss of consciousness or uncontrolled movement, others may be invisible to those who lack experience with or are unaware of the nuances of seizure disorders.

“This program breaks through stereotypes about seizures, even among health care professionals,” said Aubrey Esparza, MSN, RN, CPN, neurosciences clinical nurse leader at Cook Children’s. “Seizures can present in many different ways. Some can be subtle, so it is important to know the signs to look for.”

Oftentimes, unrecognized seizures are incorrectly labeled as behavioral problems, attention deficits or even substance abuse, resulting in a lapse of timely medical treatment, according to Esparza. Knowing what to look for and being able to describe the seizure activity in detail is key in getting individuals the help they need. The certification program emphasizes the importance that seizure description plays in diagnosis and treatment and the types of information health care providers need from a witness for better diagnosis and treatment.

“When a seizure is presumed to be something else, a child is unable to receive timely medical treatment," Esparza said. "Knowing what to look for and being able to describe that seizure activity in detail gives providers so much information as to how to diagnose and treat an individual. The more we know about what an individual’s seizure looks like, the better.”

Certification was first offered in-house to Cook Children’s inpatient neurosciences staff members in September. Since then, 56 members of the neurosciences team have completed certification—now a mandatory part of their continuing education employee training. But understanding how to recognize a seizure is also very valuable for those on general medical floors and in high-traffic areas like patient registration or the cafeteria, and the training is suitable for both medical professionals and non-medical employees. All Cook Children’s staff are encouraged to complete the optional one-hour course through the hospital's employee education portal.

The certification program is also offered to families of patients at risk for seizures or newly diagnosed with epilepsy. So far, nine families have completed the training and have reported increased confidence in managing seizure activity as well as the ability to better recognize and describe seizures. Even families who have children with epilepsy for multiple years have reported that the course is extremely valuable. Training for patient families is currently offered once a week via Zoom and will be provided in-person once it is safe to do so.

The Epilepsy Foundation’s course is open to any adult interested in increasing their confidence in recognizing seizures and providing seizure first aid. It is designed for anyone who works, lives or plays in a setting where seizures could occur or who interacts with someone who has seizures, according to the Foundation.

For more information on how you or members of your organization can become Seizure Recognition and First Aid Certified, visit www.epilepsy.com/firstaid or contact your local Epilepsy Foundation.

There, I said it.

Those of you who insist that every child can do so, comment away.

Those of you who tried and started a knock-down-drag-out weekend of fighting in your house, only to quit and come back to it later with a different strategy that was much more successful, you may stand up and applaud.

The three-day potty training method has several different flavors but all of them involve some of the following ingredients:

• Draw a hard line in the sand - no more diapers.
• Let the child go naked for the weekend (or longer).
• Give the child lots of fluids and salty snacks (I’ve seen some recommend soda. I mean, just … NO!)
• Put the child on the potty frequently.
• Celebrate successful pees and poops.

I know that these methods work some of the time, with some kids. The posts about the strategy wouldn’t be so popular if they didn’t. Problem is, I don’t hear much about it when it works. But, I do hear about it when it becomes a disaster. I hear about it when everyone is in tears and tensions are through the roof.

Any of you with more than one child can confirm that kids are different. They do things on their own time and in their own way. Potty training is the same way. To assume that every child can potty train by age 3 and in three days is unfair. Each child may need a different strategy.

Here is my potty training guide:

Readiness

I usually give two signs for potty training readiness:

1.Knowledge of wet and dirty. If a child doesn’t understand what pee and poop is, good luck.

2.Ability to sit still on the toilet. Unless you want to be forcing your child to sit down on the seat every time, they have to be patient enough to wait for the action to happen.

But guess who ultimately decides when your child (and you) are ready to potty train? You and your child! Not grandma, nor your judgy friend or the blog post they shared. So, take your time if you want or go ahead, it’s up to you.

Method

I only have one rule when it comes to your method for potty training. Be patient!

Be patient with your child. Some kids have legitimate fear about the part of their body that they are flushing down the drain. It can be the same to them as flushing an arm. Some kids will get it right away, some won’t. Give them the chance to fail without punishment.

Also, be patient with yourself. You will get frustrated at some point during the process. Pick some fun things to do with your child and alone to recharge. It’s OK if it doesn’t go perfectly.

Pick a method that you think fits well with your child and stick with it for a bit. Don’t change after one day. But, it’s also ok to step back and make a change after a bit if things are going well. It’s even ok to decide that you tried to early and wait to start again in a few months.

Potty training is a necessary step in development. It might not be as fun as the first word or first step but it is just as monumental. So maybe it’s not always a “happy” time but at least it can lead to joy. Don’t let unreasonable expectations steal that.