How Do You Tell The Difference Between Staring Into Space "As If In His/Her Own World" And An Absence Seizure?

Oct. 23, 2008 -- Question: How do you tell the difference between staring into space "as if in his/her own world" and an absence seizure?

Answer: Children with autism are often described as being in their own world, or staring off into space. And it's important to distinguish that from an absence seizure. And absence seizure is a brief interruption consciousness lasting approximately two to 10 seconds in which interaction with other people is just not possible. The child may blink, they may make chewing noises, they may have small twitches in one or more limbs during this brief period, and they do not lose bowel or bladder control and they do not lose muscle tone. And oftentimes children will resume the activity that they were doing as if nothing had happened.