Children with epilepsy should be allowed to have the same fun camp experiences that all other children get to have.

If your child has seizures, chances are that safety is your primary concern when it comes to sending your child to camp. Many camps have activities like swimming, boating, and climbing, all of which can be particularly dangerous for youth with epilepsy. That does not mean your child has to miss out on these experiences. You just have to make sure there are plans in place to keep your child safe, and the best way to go about that is to start with a discussion with the camp director. Here are some things you may want to discuss:

• Do the camp counselors know how to recognize and respond to seizures? We can provide free seizure recognition and first aid training to camp staff upon request.
• What medical staff does the camp employ? Most camps have medical staff available for medication administration, but some do not and rely on the camper or their counselor to manage medications. Make sure you know who will be administering your child’s medication and the camp’s procedure in the event of a medical emergency.
• How close by are the staff when children are swimming? You may want to consider asking a counselor or other staff person to be in the water when your child is swimming. At the very least, the lifeguard on duty should know when a child who is swimming has a history of seizures so they can keep an extra eye on that person.
• Should the other campers be taught about epilepsy? If your child has frequent seizures that will be obvious and possibly scary to the other campers, we can visit your child’s camp for free to teach the campers about epilepsy and seizures.