Referral and assessment
Get information on referral and assessment for diagnosis after a first suspected epileptic seizure with Young Epilepsy.
This section covers the referral and assessment process for children, young people and adults, and the test options currently available.
There is no single test for diagnosing epilepsy and getting a diagnosis can take time.
Instead, doctors rely on a range of medical tests, medical histories, eyewitness accounts, video evidence and records of seizures.
It can be a long and frustrating process for families, so it is important to keep accurate records of any seizures, noting down when they occur, how long they last and a full description of what happened, including any changes in behaviour before the seizure. This will help the child’s medical team to understand the full picture.
It also includes information to help parents, carers and young people give epilepsy experts the full picture to help them make a proper assessment and diagnosis.
