How do I time an absence seizure?

Short answer: time the episode the way your child’s care team asked you to, usually from when you first notice it to when you see it end. Write the number down right away, and note anything about recovery separately. If you noticed late or guessed, say so: what you timed is what you observed, not necessarily the whole episode.

The NHS describes seizure symptoms that can include losing awareness of what’s around you, staring into space and not being able to respond normally, and says a seizure usually lasts a few seconds or minutes and stops by itself (NHS: Epilepsy). When something is that short, the hard part is getting the length down at all, not getting it exact.

Steps

1. Stay with your child first. Their safety comes before the timer. You can always record a time estimate afterward.
2. Start when you notice it. Start the moment you see the blank look, the paused sentence, or the fluttering eyelids. If you noticed partway through, note that the timed length may be shorter than the episode.
3. Stop when you see it end. Use the end point your care team described. If anything about how your child was afterward seemed unusual for them, write that down separately and tell the care team.
4. Write it down before the next thing. Seconds are easy to forget by dinner. Record the length, the time of day, and whether it was timed or guessed.

Don’t test your child mid-episode to see whether they respond, and don’t try to bring one on to time it. Just watch, keep them safe, and follow the action plan their care team gave you.

How Présence helps

The two-tap timer is one tap to start and one to stop. You can also say “Hey Siri, Start Presence” without unlocking the phone, and a Lock Screen Live Activity lets you stop it with one tap (Support). If you missed the timer, add the episode by hand afterward.

Présence is a personal wellness diary, not for emergencies. It doesn’t diagnose, treat, monitor, or alert. This guide isn’t first aid. Follow your child’s individual seizure action plan. If an episode is different from their usual pattern or you are unsure what to do, contact their care team; get emergency help for immediate danger such as trouble breathing or serious injury.