Pediatric Epilepsy Program
The pediatric epilepsy program at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois provides expert care for children with epilepsy and childhood seizures. From evaluation to treatment, we work with you to create personalized care plans for your child, helping manage seizures and improve their quality of life.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a condition that causes recurring seizures, which are sudden bursts of electrical activity in the brain. Childhood epilepsy can affect kids of all ages, from newborns to teens. Seizures may look different depending on the child, and symptoms can range from brief staring spells to full-body convulsions. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to help children live safely and reach their full potential.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
At your first visit, your child will receive a thorough evaluation to understand their seizures and overall health. Our team may review medical history, previous tests and perform neurological assessments.
You can expect:
- A discussion of your child’s symptoms and seizure patterns
- Guidance on what to monitor at home
- Recommendations for further testing, including Electroencephalogram (EEG) or video EEG if needed
- Development of a personalized treatment plan
Follow-up visits focus on monitoring your child’s response to their treatment plan, adjusting medications or evaluating surgical options if their seizures are difficult to control. Our outpatient clinics make it easy for you to access ongoing care close to home.
Meet Your Care Team
Your pediatric epilepsy team includes a range of specialists, including a pediatric epileptologist, who focus on epilepsy in children. Your child’s care team may include pediatric neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists and epilepsy nurses. Each provider works together to offer comprehensive care, education and support for children with epilepsy and their families.
Conditions We Treat
Children with epilepsy may experience different types of seizures and related conditions, including:
- Childhood epilepsy syndromes
- Focal seizures
- Generalized seizures
- Genetic epilepsies
- Infantile spasms
- Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
- Refractory or difficult-to-treat epilepsy
- Other seizure disorders and developmental epileptic encephalopathies
Epilepsy Services We Provide
We offer a wide range of epilepsy services and childhood epilepsy treatment options, including:
- Comprehensive epilepsy evaluations
- Epilepsy surgery when needed
- Medication management
- Ongoing consultation with primary care and referring physicians
- Seizure monitoring
- Video EEG studies
EEG Department
An EEG test records the brain’s electrical activity to help diagnose and manage epilepsy in children. Our department performs both outpatient and inpatient EEG scans, including video EEG, which captures seizures on video to provide more detailed information. After the test, we’ll interpret the results and develop a treatment plan tailored to your child. EEGs are safe, noninvasive and essential for tracking seizure activity and guiding care decisions.
Ask for a Referral
Need epilepsy treatment and care for your child? Contact your primary care provider about a referral to the pediatric epilepsy program. Need a primary care provider? Browse our directory.
